


Idealizing Heroification

by xx0amanda0xx



Category: Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-04-28 08:01:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 24,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14444883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xx0amanda0xx/pseuds/xx0amanda0xx
Summary: Grey is thrown into a whole new world as the leader of the Inquisition, a group of individuals whom band together to take down a dark force known as Corypheus. His floppy, silvery hair and misty blue-grey eyes give off a dark mysterious aura, matching the past that he has. However, the dual wielding assassin just might meet his match in a Tevinter mage, none other than Dorian.Her long blonde locks and emerald green eyes might give off the image of innocence, but Sammie finds pleasure in dark magic, despite the warnings she gets about the aftermath of such magic. Sneaking off to fulfill her dark desires was much simpler before Hawke, a suave and confident companion at the least, became entangled in her life.Dalish scribe Avril finds that speaking to those with authority is practically impossible. She would rather hide behind her curly, dark blonde hair and a book rather than be dragged out to where a fight is being held. But can Solas, a fellow elf, bring her out of her shell and remind her of her glory days? Or will old flames get in the way of everything?Can a series of life or death adventures bring a group of individuals closer together? Or will it drive a wedge between them?





	1. Chapter 1

Grey let out a groan of pain as his eyelids pulled themselves apart, as much as he wanted to let them droop back together. His back was sore from being hunched over and his wrist bloodied from the too tight shackles. He heard the heavy footsteps coming towards him that could only come from boots.

He struggled to hold his head up and take in who just walked in the room. It was a lanky yet muscular woman with short, black hair that had a braid along one side. Looking at her scar ridden face, he could tell that she was either serious or angry, maybe even both.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you.", the woman spat at him, her arms crossed over her chest.

Grey, bewildered and exhausted, kept his mouth shut. The dark haired woman marched over and grabbed his wrist, causing green sparks to erupt from his hand. He gasped in both shock and pain, yanking his hand back, hoping it was her who had caused it. It wasn't until now that he realized that there were a few guards standing by the doorway and pointing spears at him and a hooded figure staying in the darkness of the corner.

"What is this?! What does it do?!"

Grey shook his head and whispered,"I don't know, I couldn't tell you."

"You're lying!", the woman yelled at him.

The hooded figure stepped into the dimly lit area and gently ushered the woman away,"We need him, Cassandra."

Grey's eyebrows furrowed in frustration and anger as he spoke,"Whatever you think I did, I didn't do it. Let me go, I'm innocent."

The hooded figure turned away from Cassandra and towards him,"Do you know what happened? How all of this came to be?"

"I remember...running, things were chasing me. Then there was a...a woman? She reached out for me but then...", Grey shook his head, annoyed that he couldn't remember and that he let himself forget.

Cassandra looked at the hooded figure,"Go to the forward camp Leliana. I will take him to the Breach."

Leliana nodded and hurried out of there. Before Grey knew it, he was a free man once again. Well, sort of. He was no longer shackled and being held in a musty room, and that's a start at least. He looked up at the sky and shook his head, not being able to comprehend what exactly has happened.

"That's the Breach, it was caused by an explosion. There are many, smaller ones like it called Rifts.", Cassandra muttered, leading Grey towards the Breach.

"An explosion doesn't cause that...", he shook his head and fell into step with her.

She shrugged as they came upon a bridge,"Well this one did."

After a short spat with a man on the Chantry, Cassandra and Grey pushed on, eventually finding their way to the Breach. Along the way, they had picked up Varric, a snarky yet amusing dwarf who seemed to exceptionally bother Cassandra, and Solas, a knowledgeable and easily annoyed elf.

The demons poured out of the green abyss, making it more difficult to conquer them. After Grey had given a final blow to one of the many dark entities, Solas grabbed his wrist and held his hand towards the Breach. Much to Grey's surprise, said action managed to pull the remaining demons back into the Breach and close it. Overturning his palm and gaping at it, Grey had no idea that it was him that had the power to rid the land of such a monstrous thing.

"I knew he had the power to close it.", Solas nodded.

The four of them pushed on until faced with a rather large, blond man with golden eyes. Grey looked him over and found him attractive, yes, but not at all someone that he would pursue.

"Commander Cullen.", Cassandra nodded.

The Commander had a slight smile tug on his lips as he nodded a hello to her,"Lady Cassandra, you closed it, thank you."

The woman shook her head,"Don't thank me, Commander, it was this prisoner's doing."

Varric chuckled before stating,"He's a bit quiet at times though."

"Doesn't matter, what matters is that the Breach is closed.", Cassandra shook her head.

"Good thing, I thought we were going to be ass deep in demons forever.", the dwarf snickered.

The Commander looked at Grey then nodded before pointing,"That path up there should be clear."

*

Grey smiled to himself, thinking back to the memory that seemed like so long ago. He now walked up the steps of Skyhold with Cassandra in front of many new friends and allies. Leliana stood on the landing with a sword gently resting in her hands.

"The Inquisition needs a leader, and it should be the person who has been leading the Inquisition all along.", Cassandra smiled at Grey as they both reached the landing.

He swallowed what felt like glass as his nerves began to kick in. Taking a shaky breath, he was unable to let any words escape his mouth.

"Well?"

Dumbfounded, Grey looked to Cassandra,"You mean that you all have this much confidence in me?"

"They - We all owe our lives to you. We will follow. There would be no Inquisition without you. How you lead will be yours to decide."

With his eyebrows scrunched together and a rather stern look plastered on his face, Grey took the sword from Leliana's hands,"Corypheus won't leave me alone, he made that clear, and he must be stopped."

Cassandra stepped farther to the edge of the landing and called out,"Have our people been told?"

"They have, and soon, the world!", Josephine, one of the select few who deals with foreign affairs called back.

"Commander, will they follow?"

The golden eyed, blond man smirked,"Inquisition, will you follow? Will we fight? Will we triumph?"

Grey smiled wide hearing the people cheer after every question. The Commander then unsheathed his sword and held it up,"Your leader, your Herald, your Inquisitor!"

The silver haired man held the sword up to the sky in response, earning more of a reaction from the crowd. Grey never dreamed of having so many followers, allies, and friends fighting alongside him. Little did he know, that he had so many more people to meet and win over.


	2. Lost Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cole is introduced and joins the inquisition, much to Seeker Cassandra’s dismay.

After a long night of celebrating in the tavern, Grey awoke with a throbbing headache and a disheveled appearance. He crawled out of the extremely comfortable bed then walked over to a large curtain-covered window. He gripped the red, silky curtains and gently tugged on them, pulling them apart and letting the sun beam into his room. Groaning and looking away, Grey was now convinced that he was hungover for the first time in his life. 

   He took a deep breath and shuffled towards his dresser, digging through his drawers for something to wear. Finally deciding on a beige bejeweled ensemble, he took a deep breath and quickly changed his clothes. Looking in a mirror, he grunted at his messy appearance and combed through his hair with his fingers. 

   Once he was finally satisfied with how he looked, he pounced down the small flight of stairs and pushed through his door to the main hall. Rubbing his tired eyes, he walked out of the main hall and down the stairs. 

"Inquisitor!", he heard Cassandra call out for him, but he ever so wished that she hadn't because his head was no longer aching, it was throbbing. 

   Grey rubbed his temples and turned around to face the Seeker,"Yes, Cassandra?"

"You cannot possibly want to keep that- that demon here in Skyhold! He could destroy us all!", she threw her hands in the air and trembled in anger. 

   Grey grunted and crossed his arms over his chest,"He helped us out when Corypheus came to Haven with the Templar army; what reason does he have to turn against us?"

"What reason doesn't he have, Inquisitor?! He's a demon and cannot be trusted!", she shouted. 

   Unable to sustain her yelling any longer, Grey held his hands up defensively,"Calm down, calm down. I will go talk to Cole, alright?"

   Cassandra huffed and stomped off to her usual hangout, leaving Grey to himself. After she left, he went to the uppermost story of the tavern,"Cole? Are you in here?"

   He looked around then heard Cole's voice behind him,"Screaming, running, all those people splattered in red, sticky substances. Fighting for the cause they believed in, only to...die."

   Grey whirled around and saw Cole leaning against the wall in the dark, shadowy corner,"You keep sneaking up on me."

"I-I don't mean to frighten you...", Cole shook his head, refusing to make eye contact with the misty eyed man. 

   Relaxing his tensed shoulders a little, he nodded,"You didn't, it's perfectly alright. I came to talk to you-"

"She doesn't like me, wants me gone. Fear, anger, angst building up inside her like she might explode!", the strange boy took a shaky breath. 

   Grey took a heavy step towards him, the wooden floorboard creaking beneath his weight,"I can talk to her, help her understand. That is, if you want to stay."

   The blonde's composure perked up slightly at the statement, but his face remained the same,"I would very much like that. I want to...help people. I don't want to hurt anybody, enough have been harmed..."

   Grey shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled widely at the boy,"Splendid, I believe you. Besides, I think having you around would have tremendous benefits."

   Cole smiled slightly at the Inquisitor's response and listened as he spoke again,"I'll see you around, Cole."

"How do you know?", he raised an eyebrow to the man in beige. 

   Grey let a small chuckle erupt from his chest before turning and bounding down the steps and out of the tavern, nodding to the Iron Bull and Krem when he passed them. He walked behind the tavern and found Cassandra training on the dummies, as per usual. 

"Did you rid the Inquisition of that demon?", the spiky haired woman grunted as she stabbed one of the dummies in the chest. 

   Grey leaned against the brick wall nearby as his silvery hair drooped down, covering part of his face,"Don't call him that, he has a name."

"Don't tell me that you've come to be fond of that...that thing!", she groaned out. 

"Cole isn't a thing! He's a person and I expect you to treat him as such!", he stood up straight and now had a stern look on his face. 

   Cassandra looked taken aback and stayed silent as he continued on,"Cole is going to stay here, and that's final. If he causes any trouble, he will be out of here, but he's done nothing but help us and I'm not going to kick me out just because you don't like him."

"I-Inquisitor...I...I'm sorry, I should have trusted you in your decision regarding him more than I did."

   The man waved his hand dismissively as his face softened,"I didn't mean to hold my power over you, Cassandra, I'm just looking out for the Inquisition and its future."

"Understood.", the Seeker let a small smile tug on her lips. 

   The Inquisitor returned the smile and nodded as a form of goodbye to her before finding his way back to the main hall. 

"Inquisitor! Inquisitor!", Mother Giselle called from a couple feet away before approaching him,"I've received a letter regarding a certain Tevinter companion of yours."

   Grey slumped from his cool, calm, and collected composure into one of mild annoyance and worry. The job of being Inquisitor had proven to be difficult and tedious, but even more so when Grey grew close to those that he traveled with. He just hoped that nothing too terrible steered Dorian awry.


	3. Family Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grey accompanies one of his closest mates, Dorian, to a meeting with the mage’s father

Grey stares blankly at Mother Giselle, not being able to understand why Dorian's family would reach out, and to her of all people. The woman tilted her head slightly,"Inquisitor?"

He cleared his throat and shook his head as if that were to clear him of his thoughts,"I'm sorry?"

"I said that since you've grown close to him that you should accompany him to the meeting point. Magister Halward Pavus writes that a retainer will be waiting his arrival. I don't believe that it would be wise to inform the boy of the true intentions..."

Grey's body stiffened and his expression hardened,"I'm not going to lie and deceive Dorian!"

The older woman nodded slowly and handed the Inquisitor the letter,"I figured as much; here's the letter if you wish to look it over."

He shoved the folded letter into his pocket before thanking Mother Giselle and heading up to the library. Looking around, he found his way over to Dorian, who had a pile of books piled beside him,"Well if it isn't my favorite- What's wrong?"

   Grey's eyes widened a little at the fact that the fun loving, Tevinter mage could see right through him so easily,"It's nothing. Well it's not nothing, it's something. I...There's a letter from your family."

   Dorian's face scrunched into a grimace and he grumbled,"And what do they want?"

   The normally fearless assassin fumbled over his words, giving the mage the letter from his father. 

"I see...", he muttered while reading it over,"Well let's go then. I'm anxious to see what there is to discuss and if he actually paid someone to stay and wait for me."

"Dorian...", the Inquisitor whispered. 

   He cocked an eyebrow in response and let Grey continue,"Could it be a trap?"

"Possibly...I don't entirely know who my father is anymore. Are you ready to go?"

   Losing any sort of confidence that he had in himself, he simply nodded in response. He hated what he felt and what he was doing; Grey was hopeless.  

*

   Grey trudged through the Hinterlands with Dorian, Cole, and Bull by his side. Dorian agreed with Grey when he said that something could go wrong and that it would be nice if there were a couple people on standby. 

"So, boss...Are there going to be any heads rolling tonight?", Bull cleared his throat and broke the silence. 

   His moon-like eyes darted from Dorian to Bull then back to the direction they were originally looking,"Don't know yet, but we should be prepared if something of that sort were to happen."

   The large Qunari man nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his hands together. Cole mostly stayed quiet as Dorian pointed out that he didn't need any more troubling thoughts on this journey. 

"Thank you.", Dorian suddenly murmured. 

   The other three looked at him with quizzical looks etched into their faces,"None of you had to come with me, but you did. Don't make me say it again."

   Everyone stayed quiet until Cole piped up for the first time in awhile,"I like your horns, The Iron Bull. But they're dragon horns, not bull horns...You could have named yourself The Iron Dragon."

   Bull's eyes went wide,"That would have been better!"

   The two laughed lightheartedly as the four of them reached the tavern. Grey glanced over his shoulder and muttered,"Bull, Cole, stay out here and keep watch. If trouble comes, I expect help."

"You got it, boss.", Bull smirked. 

   Cole swayed on his feet with a childish grin on his face,"I like helping people."

Dorian slowly pushed the door to the tavern open and stepped inside with Grey following behind him. 

"Ah...I didn't think the Inquisitor himself would accompany you..."

Grey closed the door and his companion snapped out at who Grey could only assume was his father,"Is this what you called me here for? To judge more of my life decisions?"

The man stepped out of the shadows of the tavern and crossed his arms,"No, I'm just sorry that I pushed you to the Inquisition."

Dorian stared at his father with his mouth agape,"Pushed me? Pushed me?! You didn't push me! I went willingly, to correct the wrongs!"

Magister Pavus looked away as Dorian shouted more,"You're just angry because I can't be your perfect little son!"

"Dorian please..."

He grunted before whirling around to face Grey,"He doesn't know, but perhaps he should! My father turned his back on me because I prefer the company of men."

As much as Grey wanted to erupt into cheers and applause for the fact that he might actually be able to win the Tevinter man over yet, he stayed quiet and nodded slowly in an understanding manner. 

"Dorian!", his father shouted. 

The devilishly handsome mage started to make his way towards the door, but the Inquisitor grabbed him by his upper arm,"Don't leave it like this, Dorian. You'll regret it for the rest of your life."

His mustache twitched as he inhaled sharply, turning to finish business with his father. Shortly after, the two comrades walked out of the tavern. 

"No rolling heads?", Bull frowned and looked at Dorian then Grey. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Grey could see Cole shake his head as subtlety as possible. The four began walking once again and an already sour Dorian whined,"Why is it always so cold? How do you southerners stand it?"

The Iron Bull crossed his arms and grunted,"What's the matter? Not enough slaves around to rub your footsies?"

Dorian glared daggers into the much larger man,"My footsies are freezing, thank you."

Both Cole and Grey couldn't help but to snicker a little at their usual banter on the way back to Skyhold.


	4. New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawke arrives in Skyhold and assists the Inquisitor in rescuing a hostage

Upon arriving back at Skyhold, Dorian and Grey sat upstairs in the library in a rather comfortable silence. Dorian glanced at Grey and finally said something,"I'm sorry that I hadn't told you about..."

"It's fine, you don't have to tell us everything. I just feel like you sort of...lead me on at times.", he shrugged in response. 

Dorian cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter,"Leading you on and flirting with you are two different things, but I can stop if it bothers you."

"Don't you dare!", Grey let out suddenly, before gathering himself and his thoughts, blushing from embarrassment,"I...Meant that you don't have to."

"I know what you meant.", the mage snickered and ruffled the Inquisitor's hair. 

His face started heating up more even at the mild touch of the man, mentally kicking himself for letting such minuscule actions have such tremendous effects on him. Unable to carry on with his interaction with Dorian without embarrassing himself, Grey slowly stood up and dismissed himself to the War Room.  

   Once he summoned the War Council, Grey put both hands on the table, leaning against it. In addition to his usual company in the War Room, Hawke had silently joined them. She had short yet flowing hair, eyes dark enough that it seems they could see into your soul, and what seemed to be blood - no, paint - across the the bridge of her nose. 

"Hawke, what gives us the pleasure of having you here?", Grey raised an eyebrow. 

   The rather slender woman shrugged before stating,"There's a situation and I think that I will be of assistance."

   Leliana interjected, being able to clarify and expand upon the statement a little more,"Our spies have detected a rather...strange...scenario in the Exalted Plains: There are a group of mages who plan on sacrificing another mage girl in hopes of-"

"Say no more. I'll take Hawke, Sera, and Varric with me."

"Perhaps an ambush would be the best option?", the Commander suggested. 

   Grey nodded knowingly,"That was the plan Commander, perhaps you're rubbing off on me."

*

   Varric, Sera, Hawke, and Grey walked slowly through the Plains, becoming more and more quiet as they came closer to their destination. Once they found where the mages were, they all ducked down behind a hill above the mages. Two mages held a girl with long blond hair while others pointed their staffs at her and one other stood in front of her in a hooded coat, holding a book and wand in their hands. 

"Sera, Varric, get into position.", Grey whispered. 

   The two nodded and got on opposite sides of the hill, Varric on the left and Sera on the right. Both of them loaded up their bows with arrows and waited. Since Sera's bow was more precise and quiet, she was to take the first shot, but she had to wait for the most opportune time. 

"What are you doing? Take the shot.", Hawke hissed out, growing more impatient by the second. 

"Not yet, Hawke. If she shoots now, she'll hit the girl, too, completely defeating the purpose.", Grey murmured. 

   Sera pulled her bowstring back slowly once the mages holding the girl shifted a bit. Once she had a clear shot, she aimed for the mage's head. Releasing the bowstring from her her grip, she sent the arrow spiraling into the air, sinking into the mage's head and killing him. Once he fell, all of the others looked around frantically, the mage on the left tightening his grip on the girl. 

"Now!", Grey shouted and jumped over the hill with Hawke, pulling out his weapons as Hawke readied her sword. 

   Hawke was to bring the girl to safety and make sure that she was alright while the other three cleared the path a little for her. Varric shot an arrow straight into the middle of one of the men's spines, allowing himself to move closer to the group of mages. Sera kept her distance, as she got sloppier as she became closer to her target. 

   Grey charged for the hooded mage, taking him by surprise and jumping on his back, digging one of his daggers into his neck. Upon hitting the ground, he took the dagger from the mage's neck. However, the Inquisitor was soon kicked to the ground by an elven mage woman, stomping hard on one of his hands once he was down, making him scream out in pain. 

"Varric, now!", Grey called for assistance. 

   Before the mage could cause any further harm, an arrow was shot through her arm and into her side. Taken aback, the elven woman cried in agony, giving Grey the opportunity to execute the final blow into her chest with his good hand. 

   Once the mage group had all fallen at the hands of the small ambush team, Hawke hurried over to a wounded girl, the one they were sent to save. 

"Why did you save me...?", the girl coughed, blood coming from her mouth. 

"Because you needed it.", Hawke grunted as she picked up the girl. 

   The four trudged home, Hawke carrying an extremely wounded girl, whom they had discovered her name to be Sammie, and Grey with a most likely broken hand. 

"You alright, your Inquisitorialness?", Varric asked, trying to lighten the mood. 

"Worry about Sammie, not me.", was all that he said. 

   When they approached Skyhold, Sera yelled for somebody to come check out the mage girl's wounds and the Inquisitor's hand. After a few days, Sammie was feeling much better and Grey's hand had a temporary cast on it, both of them healed by magic. 

"Why you?", Grey suddenly asked the emerald eyed girl. 

   Shrugging and nervously plucking at blades of grass that surrounded her where she sat, Sammie responded to the question as honestly as she could,"I suppose they feared me, Inquisitor. The type of magic I practice isn't exactly the safest."

"You don't mean...", Grey cleared his throat. 

"You're an intelligent man, you can piece it together.", Sammie smirked before leaving the silver haired boy alone in the grassy field-like area. 

   She had decided to stick around and assist the Inquisition to the best of her abilities. After all, how else would you pay somebody back for saving your life despite all of your flaws and mistakes?


	5. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Th newest recruit to the Inquisition finds an elven woman in an abandoned building

   After a couple weeks of being in Skyhold, Sammie had made it routine to sneak off into abandoned parts of the large castle-like area. Every night after a couple hours in the tavern with Bull and the Chargers, she would just slip away into her sweet satisfactions. Sammie stayed up late studying the few books on necromancy and blood magic that she had gathered. 

   As demented as it sounded, she found the use of death and fear in her magic to be oddly...thrilling. The thought that she could use the blood coursing in another's veins against them was all too tempting for her to resist. Such magic wasn't exactly accepted, but when she hinted at it to the Inquisitor, he hadn't said anything, so what was the harm?

   One night while Sammie and the Chargers were drinking their troubles away in the tavern, Sera started up the steps of the tavern. 

"Sera!", Krem called out. 

   The elf girl stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder, letting Krem continue,"Why don't you ever join us for drinks, always just up and to bed?"

   Sera laughed softly and turned to look at him,"I've never been invited to join."

"Well come on then!", one of the Chargers shoved a mug filled to the brim with alcohol towards her. 

"Free drinks?! Now we're talking!", the light blond girl plopped on a stool in between Sammie and Krem. 

   Sammie stayed quiet, sipping at her drink every now and then but mostly pondering over when she could slip away. Sera shook her shoulder,"You're holding up better than when I last saw you, yea?"

   The mage girl smiled at her and nodded, holding her mug up to clink it with Sera's. After their mugs connected, the two took a swig from their own drinks. Sera then looked at Krem, nudging him in the side,"You're Bull's boy, yea?"

"Not exactly...I'm practically his right hand if that's what your asking. Maybe I make up for his missing eye.", Krem snickered. 

   Sammie finished her drink and slowly stood up, deciding to let the two be considering the fact that they don't talk all that often. Despite only being a part of the Inquisition for two weeks, give or take a day or so, she had pretty much figured out who was acquainted with who.

   She walked through many doors and up stairs, ladders, and steps, finally content when she found a dark, messy room. Using her magic, she lit a nearby torch so she could see. 

"Wh-Who are you...?", Sammie whispered to a quivering elven girl with curly dark blond hair and brown, almost black, eyes. 

   The girl stayed quiet, inching into the corner and trembling now more than before. When Sammie took a step towards her, the girl whimpered and her breathing became shakier. 

"I'll be back, stay still, yea?", Sammie tried her best to smile sweetly at the girl then calmly walked out of the room, taking off running towards the main hall as soon as she stepped outside. 

   Taking the door to the library, she looked around frantically,"Sammie?"

"Solas! Eleven girl, dark room, scared.", she panted, slouching over and putting her hands on her knees. 

   The bald man scrunched his eyebrows together then told her to lead the way. When they finally found their way back to the room, Sammie kept her distance while Solas slowly approached her,"Dirth, da'len..."

"Harel! Harel!", she cried out, shaking viciously as she spoke like the man had asked her to. 

   Solas eased into a squat in front of the girl,"I don't mean to cause you fear, it will be alright."

   Sammie opened her mouth to say something but decided against it, thinking that Solas could handle it better than she could. The girl simply nodded, staying quiet. 

"What is your name, da'len?"

"Avril.", the dark blond whispered. 

   He nodded slowly and stood up, gingerly helping the girl to her feet. Avril gulped and looked around, her gaze finally landing on Sammie,"Ma serannas, falon. No...enansal."

   Solas laughed lowly but Sammie just looked confused,"She says 'Thank you, friend. No...blessing.'"

   Her emerald eyes lit up at the sound of this before smiling wide,"Perhaps a medic should take a look at you; how long have you been up here?"

   Avril shrugged and shakily walked towards the door, whispering softly,"Th-The Templars...They locked me in here after a night in the tavern. I was scared to leave..."

   Sammie's smile faded as she opened the door,"I guess I was saved so that I could save you then."

   The three walked slowly towards an area with a group of medics nearby. Avril wasn't starving or anything of that sort, but seemed to just be utterly exhausted. Solas called out,"We need medics here!"

   A man and a woman, who Avril assumed to be medics, rushed over. The curly haired girl fell to the ground, her legs giving out beneath her. 

"Someone get the Inquisitor!", the male medic shouted. 

  Those four words were the last sound that rang through Avril's ears, right before her eyes rolled back and darkness embraced her.


	6. Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avril wakes up and things between Hawke and Sammie begin.

Sammie sat in a wooden chair, staring at an unconscious Avril. She felt a gentle, yet somehow strong, hand grip her shoulder. Her eyes went wide and she snapped her head around to see Hawke standing behind her,"What're you doing here? You scared me half to death."

She smiled down at Sammie before pulling up a chair beside her,"I didn't mean to scare you, I've just been worrying about you. The last few days you've stayed in here with her. You even turned down a couple trips with the Inquisitor."

"You're worried about me?", she beamed in response to the warrior's comment.

Hawke huffed and blew a loose strand of hair out of her face,"That would be all that you heard; but yes, I'm worried about you. Therefore, I'm just going to accompany you from now on."

"Don't you have important business to attend to?"

"Like what?"

The exhausted blonde sat up straight and crossed her arms,"Hmm...Gee, I don't know...Maybe the whole taking down Corypheus thing? You and Varric did-"

"Oh that business...Well this business is also very important, important to me at least.", the dark haired girl laughed softly as she relaxed in the creaky, wooden chair.

She then looked the Dalish girl over and shook her head,"So when is she supposed to wake up? That is, if she-"

"Don't even start with the possibility of her not waking up. The healers and Solas have been doing the best that they can; she is estimated to wake up tonight, maybe tomorrow morning."

Gently nudging Sammie in the side with her elbow, she smirked before saying,"You mean to tell me that a seemingly bitter man who has the mental capacity of somebody who is two thousand years old has a soft spot for Avril?"

"I guess?", she raised an eyebrow in response, a bit confused about the discussion at hand, but wouldn't admit to as much.

After a long yet comfortable silence between the two, Sammie piped up,"So why did you bother coming here with me? I don't understand why you're so worried about me."

Hawke shrugged and leaned forward, slouching over a little,"You look a lot like somebody, that's all. Since you look like her, it makes me a little bit happier to see you than others. I can't be so serious all the time, and you just happen to be the only person that can bring out a little twinge of fun in me."

Sammie's mind was racing a mile a minute. Was such a wonderful woman trying to make a move on her? Or was it just her imagination running wild? What could she possibly see in her anyways? There were plenty of people like her out there in the world.

After gathering her thoughts and taking a deep breath, she smiled softly at the woman that made her stomach do somersaults,"Who do I remind you of?"

"You don't remind me of anybody, you just look like someone. You by yourself are a completely unique individual, and anybody who says otherwise is an ignorant fool."

"Alright then, who do I look like?"

Hawke sat there for a minute or so, trying to put together the right words it seemed,"You look like somebody who could make me genuinely happy after all this time. You look like the person who can teach me so many new, exciting things that my mind won't be able to fit any more information in. Finally, you look like somebody who can cure me of this terrible disease known as loneliness..."

Sammie's heart skipped a beat, wondering if it meant what she truly hoped it meant. Although she had only known Hawke for a few weeks, the cool and confident warrior had managed to weasel her way into her heart.

There were countless times where the blonde wanted so badly for her to push her against the wall and press their lips together. She wanted so many things from the dark haired woman that she feared that one day it would drive her away.

"Sammie, hello? Are you in there?", the dark eyed woman snickered.

Pulled out of her thoughts, now flustered and a bit red faced, Sammie looked deep into her eyes. Her soft, green eyes contrasted so beautifully to Hawke's hard, dark eyes. She gathered up all of the confidence that she could and slowly leaned in, searching for any type of emotion in the dark eyes she stared into. 

Hawke swallowed what felt like glass, delighted to get her feelings off of her chest, but frightened about what might happen next. She genuinely believed that the mage could make her a happier, better woman, but it had been so long since she gave any affection to anybody, or vice versa.

"E-Enansal...?", a hoarse voice whispered.

"Avril! You're awake!", Sammie quickly moved away from Hawke and smiled brightly at her awakened friend.

She briefly wondered why Solas wasn't here to see Avril while she woke up, being as though he visits about as often as she herself does, but she quickly pushed this thought to the back of her mind. Suddenly, nothing else mattered to her but the fact that the elven girl had woken up from a far too long slumber.


	7. Intimate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dynamic between Solas and Avril seems to change. Grey and Dorian's romance blossoms.

Avril smiled shyly at the Inquisitor; never had she met the man with silver hair before. Grey twirled in his chair behind his desk,"So you speak this language, Dalish, and...Qunlat?"

"I can read and write Qunlat, but I'm horrendous at speaking it. How did you know this?", her hair fell messily into her face as she grew more and more anxious.

Grey shrugged and flashed her a million dollar smile,"My people are great at their job. Now I realize you just woke up yesterday, but I believe that we could utilize your abilities..."

"Yes sir, Inquisitor...sir...?", she said the last word in a rather bewildered tone.

The leader of the Inquisition laughed, his hair falling into his face as he did so,"You can call me Grey, titles are annoying."

She smiled a little more, warming up to him, and nodded,"Well how do you wish to utilize my abilities In- Grey...?"

"How about you become a scribe for the Inquisition? Translate certain things for us so we have a leg up?"

After Avril agreed, she decided to go ahead to the library and get a head start on translating. She walked through a colorful room with art on the walls, breathing out a "wow".

"Oh, you're awake. Perhaps you should rest...", she heard a voice behind her.

She quickly turned around on her heel and came face to face with Solas,"I feel fine. Besides, I've been out for a few days already."

The elven man grunted before sitting at the desk in the center of the room,"What an ignorant decision..."

Avril frowned, no longer feeling like she had a friend in the knowledgeable elven mage.

*

Grey took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, letting out a rather obnoxiously loud yawn. Hearing a chuckle from across the room, he nearly jumped out of his skin, however.

"What's the matter, does the big, strong Inquisitor needs a nap?", Dorian teased.

"A nap would be great actually, but I have to-"

Dorian groaned and leaned against the desk,"Loosen up a bit, Grey. You're working yourself to a core, take a day to relax."

"Relax? Relax?! Corypheus could bust down the walls of Skyhold any day now!", Grey started going off on a rant.

The Tevinter mage's eyebrows knitted together before he slowly leaned closer to the Inquisitor. The closer he got, the quieter and slower Grey spoke. Once there was practically no space between their faces, Grey had finally gone silent.

He mustered up all of his courage, then grabbed Dorian by the shirt collar and let their lips meet at last. Grey slowly loosened his firm grip on the shirt collar as their lips moved in rhythm with one another.

Grey felt something soft and wet flick across his bottom lip. Assuming that it was Dorian's tongue, he eagerly opened up his mouth a little. The mage's tongue slithered inside the Inquisitor's mouth, roaming every crevice of his mouth until finally finding its way to Grey's tongue.

Letting out a soft sound, Grey slowly stood up from his desk chair, not daring to break the kiss for a second. He could feel Dorian's tongue gliding up and down his own, driving him more and more wild by the moments ticking by.

Slowly pulling away, Dorian smirked down at the light eyed boy. He nodded his head as a goodbye and started to walk away. Grey grunted and pulled him back, pushing him against his desk,"You aren't getting away so easily."

"It's a good thing, that exit wasn't going to be as dramatic as I would have desired.", the mage joked.

Grey snickered and his lips found their way to the man's neck. He started off with simply grazing his skin, only to start gently and slowly kissing down his neck. Dorian tilted his head to the side slightly, letting Grey take over and do as he wished. The Inquisitor became a bit rougher and sloppier with the kisses, lightly sucking on the skin every now and then.

Letting a low groan emerge from his chest, Dorian grabbed him and pulled him closer. Taking this as a sign to continue, maybe even escalate things a little bit, he sucked roughly on the tanned man's skin. The more he did this, the more light purple marks began to form on Dorian's neck. Marks that, within the time span of an hour or so, would probably be ten shades darker than it was now. Dorian gripped onto the edge of the desk and groaned out in pleasure, enjoying seeing - or feeling - this new side of the Inquisitor.

The two only pulled away from each other when there was a knock at the door. Grey's misty eyes were foggy with lust, but he pushed it aside for the time being and opened the door.

Leliana looked between the two of them and cocked an eyebrow, but didn't say anything about it. She had worry and concern etched into her face,"Something is...wrong...with Commander Cullen. I noticed that he's been acting a little off lately and I don't think it would hurt for you to just check in on him."

Grey nodded slowly and shoved his hands in his pockets,"Thank you Leliana, I'll speak to him immediately."

She stepped to the side and Grey pushed through the doors, finding his way to the Commander. Leliana glanced at Dorian and shook her head, going back to her usual spot. She knew that the nature between the two of them was different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Well, not yet at least.


	8. Commander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Commander Cullen struggles with lyrium and Grey tries to help him.

The Inquisitor sprinted through crowds at Skyhold, trying to get to the other side to the Commander's office. He pushed open the door, only to find that he wasn't in there. Grey scrunched his eyebrows together before locking eyes with an Inquisition scout,"Do you know where Commander Cullen is?"

The scout stood up straight and nodded,"The Commander briefly stepped out for a talk with Lady Cassandra. He didn't say what it was about, but it seemed urgent."

Grey nodded and thanked the girl before swiftly disappearing out the door and sprinting over to Cassandra's usual spot, only to hear an argument ensuing inside the tavern. Taking a deep breath, he walks in to see the normal crowded tavern is now quiet and empty except for two very familiar voices: Cassandra and Commander Cullen.

He awkwardly shuffled over to where they were standing and cleared his throat in order to get their attention. Cullen looked up and nodded at the Inquisitor, pushing past him and going Maker only knows where. However, if Grey had to guess, the Commander and most likely retreated back to his office.

"What exactly is going on here?", Grey asked sternly as he stood with his arms across his chest.

Cassandra took a deep breath and looked at the light eyed man with her dark ones,"I can assume that you've become more than well acquainted with Red Lyrium and how Templars use it?"

He nodded slowly and hung on her words as if they were from Andraste herself,"Cullen wants me to provide a substitute for him."

"Isn't that just an easy out?", he grumbled.

"The withdrawals you go through afterwards are bizarre, Inquisitor. I don't expect you to understand that much, but Cullen shouldn't replace one poison for another...", she looked down and her face scrunched up into a grimace that also seemed to hold sadness within it.

Grey took a shaky breath,"Can he be convinced otherwise, Cassandra?"

"If anybody can talk him in or out of anything, it's you. Although it might not seem like it, the Commander genuinely looks up to you, and not just because he has to."

Soon after his conversation with Lady Cassandra, Grey zig zagged through a couple of crowds of people in order to get back to Cullen's office. Not even bothering to knock, he opened the door, only to have a glass bottle thrown at him. Jumping back just in time, Grey thanked the Maker that he had better reflexes than he initially imagined. 

"Inquisitor! I-I...Forgive me, I didn't know you were there.", he huffed and leaned against his desk, looking both exhausted and frustrated.

The misty eyed man approached the former Templar, asking him what was troubling him. The blond, muscular man aired out all of his dirty laundry for the Inquisitor before taking a shaky breath,"I should be as devoted to the Inquisition as I was to the Chantry...Perhaps taking the Lyrium would prove to be the best option."

"Commander, listen to me, please. Do not take the Lyrium, look what it's done thus far. Don't give in, Cullen. Giving up the Lyrium would be an admiral thing to do, you know."

The commander stayed quiet for a few minutes before he slowly nodded his head in an understanding way,"Yes, I believe I understand what you mean. Thank you, Grey. It pays to have friends as remarkable as you."

"I'm just doing my job.", he laughed softly in response.

Cullen's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and a little bit of disappointment,"It isn't the Inquisitor's job to-"

"As a friend, Cullen. It isn't my job as Inquisitor, no, but it is my job as a friend."


	9. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sammie and Hawke share their first kiss

Sammie sat in an abandoned room, flipping through a rejected magic book, as per usual. Hearing the door creak open, she quickly hid the book under the debris of the father disgusting room. She looked up to find Hawke leaning against the door frame, and as much as she hated to admit it, she loved it when the dark haired woman randomly popped in on her. Did she have to stop practicing dark magic momentarily? Yes, but was it worth it? Absolutely, without a doubt.

   She secretly loved the sarcastic yet funny comments that Hawke made, sometimes teasing her. She found it mildly amusing when Cassandra rambled on about Varric's books, making sure to emphasize the details about Hawke that were included, as if she already knew what was happening. Most of all, Sammie liked the way the suave individual treated her, sometimes better than any other one person had.

"Escaping from all the chaos?", Hawke finally questioned.

   Sucking in a sharp breath, hating that she was lying to one of the few people she was genuinely close with, she simply responded with,"Yes."

   Hawke lightly stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her then finding a spot on the floor next to the blonde. She crossed her legs and ran her fingers through her messy hair,"That elven friend of yours, Avril..."

"What about her?", Sammie proceeded the conversation cautiously.

"I knew her, before I mean. She didn't used to be so quiet, so...Sheltered almost. She was a force to be reckoned with in battle, come to think of it... Never mind, that doesn't matter. What matters is that she doesn't seem to remember me, or anybody beforehand for that matter."

   Sammie listened closely but couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy deep inside her at the fact that Hawke had seemed to be thinking so much of her friend lately,"Were you two close?"

   Her brown eyes went a little wide, surprised that she would be so straightforward, as she usually spent a lot of time beating around the bush,"We were friends, yes. But she was closer with others if I recall correctly. Yes, that's right, she was better friends with a couple other people."

"And she doesn't remember...?", Sammie frowned, suddenly realizing that her one extremely close friend was missing bits and pieces of her memory.

"Is it possible she could have forgotten?", the green eyed girl became more worried by the second.

The scarred girl's mouth turned up slightly to form a smirk,"Sweetheart, who could forget me?"

"Cocky much?", she grumbled, but couldn't help the blush from creeping up onto her face from the nickname she had just gotten.

"Not cocky, confident."

The two laughed softly before quickly finding themselves lost in each other's eyes. Sammie's green eyes searched her companion's dark eyes for more than what seemed like nothing more than emotionless orbs. Almost as of it were second nature to them, the blonde and the brunette slowly leaned into each other's embrace.

   They sat there like that for quite some time, just holding onto one another. After was felt like years, Hawke slowly pulled out of the blonde's grasp. She brushed the long, loose locks out of the young woman's face and whispered gently, much to Sammie's surprise,"You're so beautiful..."

"I'm-"

"Yes.", she smiled wide, almost as if she already knew what Sammie was going to say. Without a doubt, Hawke knew that she was going to question her beauty as if she didn't know the effect she could have on her.

In a matter of seconds, their lips were pressed together, moving together as if they were one. Sammie's arms snaked around her newfound lover's neck and pulled her deeper into the kiss. Hawke groaned lowly, finding pleasure in the fact that she had finally done something about her feelings for the blonde mage. Sammie couldn't help but to giggle slightly, expressing her pleasure for the situation in a different way.

   Slowly pulling away, the warrior shakily stood up as her legs had turned to jello from even the slightest affection from Sammie,"We should talk to somebody, about Avril I mean, not what happened here."

"Does this mean-"

"Don't make it weird.", Hawke smirked but couldn't suppress a giggle from escaping from her lips.

   The dark mage stood up and rolled her eyes in a playful manner,"Whatever, you enjoyed yourself."

"Never said I didn't, but everyone needs to be in their best state of mind when the battle comes."

"Understood...", she whispered.


	10. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which people begin to realize that the fiesty young elven woman that that once knew is now broken and soft-spoken.

Hawke quickly walked into the Main Hall with Sammie by her side. She scanned the room until her eyes finally found Varric. The two women approached the dwarf, who looked up quizzically at them.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

   Hawke laughed softly and sat in a nearby chair,"You haven't done anything, relax."

   The dwarf sighed of relief and loosened up a little bit,"Alright then go ahead."

"Do you remember Avril, the elven girl that was-"

"Of course I do!", he laughed,"Who could forget that feisty little kid?"

"That's the thing...", Sammie interjected.

   He tilted his head slightly, indicating that he was clearly confused,"Just spit it out, why would you suddenly bring her up?"

"She's here, but she's practically the opposite of what she used to be.", Hawke muttered.

   Varric chuckled and crossed his arms,"You probably just caught her when-"

   Hawke's face hardened,"Listen to me closely, Varric. She doesn't even remember me. I realize that I wasn't as close with her as others were but..."

   The dwarf frowned and nodded slowly then looked at Sammie,"Has she ever told you where she was before she came here?"

"Not once...We never really dig into each other's past, I just figured she had things to hide like I did.", the emerald eyed girl whispered softly.

"We need to contact-"

   Hawke slowly stood from the chair and nodded,"It's already been done, I'm expecting their presence here in Skyhold any day now."

"Good, they're our best shot at getting her to remember if her memory really has been lost..."

*

   Avril sat on the other side of Solas's desk and scribbled the translations mindlessly, not really paying much attention to her surroundings. Finishing a letter from an anonymous writer, she set the translation and letter aside.

"Da'len?", the bald man whispered softly.

She slowly looked up at him and waited for him to continue speaking,"Where are you from? Where did you travel from to get to Skyhold?"

The elven girl sat silently while wracking her brain, trying far too hard to remember such a simple piece of information.

"I...Don't know.", she finally concluded.

"How long have you been in Skyhold?", he raised an eyebrow at the girl with the marked face.

Avril huffed and stood up,"I don't know, Solas. I can't remember so many things and it's painful to focus too much on them in a feeble attempt to try and remember them."

Solas felt a twinge of pain as if he was feeling the same hurt that the confused dark blonde girl was feeeling,"Da'len, I didn't mean to-"

"Please, I just need some space.", she whispered as she furrowed her eyebrows together and gathered her completed works.

He decided it would be best if he kept his mouth shut and just nodded. The man watched Avril walk out of the room and took a deep breath. Tapping his fingers on his desk and shaking his head, muttering to himself once she was surely gone,"Why must I be so ignorant sometimes?"

"Your mind is already too full that you can't gather any more knowledge?", he heard a voice behind him.

Solas turned in his chair to see Varric and Cassandra standing in the doorway,"It was a rhetorical question, thank you."

"No need to get your elven panties in a bunch, Chuckles.", Varric rolled his eyes and approached the desk with the Seeker at his side.

She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes,"What the idiotic dwarf means is - We need your help with a rather serious and touchy matter."

   The wise man stood up from his desk chair and looked between the two of them,"Alright, what is it that you need my assistance with?"

   Cassandra nervously pulled at the hem of her shirt but maintained steady contact with the elven mage,"It is about Avril and her memory. I'm unsure if you've noticed or not, but she does not seem to recall important events in her life. It's rather worrisome and we were hoping that you knew of some sort of magic that might be able to help her."

   Solas stared blankly for quite some time, mostly because he noticed that every now and then Varric would reassuringly rub the Seeker's arm or back.

"Well? What do you say?", Varric raised an eyebrow at the bald man.

   He took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his neck,"I don't think that such a spell, ability, or anything of the sort exists. However, I can certainly look into it."

"That would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Solas.", Cassandra smiled slightly before walking out with Varric at her heels.

   Solas let out a breath that he was unaware he was even holding before he plopped down in his chair once again. He had surely just lied to the two of them as he knew for a fact that such magic existed. Had he heard the tales of the elven girl and one of Varric's old companions? Of course he had, but was that why he told them what he had? No, certainly he wasn't developing feelings for the Dalish female. He already had too much on his plate as it was.


	11. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avril runs into old friends, but doesn't remember any of them.

Grey stood anxiously at the War Table, moving the metal pieces around around the table. He frowned as his fingertips smoothed over the spot on the map laid across the table where Haven used to be. Hearing the door open behind him, he calmly turned around to see Varric and Hawke with two new faces.

   One was an elven warrior with snowy white hair and darker skin than Solas and Avril, two of the few elves he had met. His hair hung loosely in places and was longer than Grey's but seemed to match his personality perfectly. In beautiful contrast, white elven marks wandered all down his neck and peeked up the top of his strong jawline. Just by looking at him Grey could tell that he had a rather sour attitude.

   The other man that stood with them was larger in his frame than the first and wore Grey Warden armor. His blond hair somehow managed to stick up for the most part, only a few strands falling onto his forehead. Although his hair was lighter than Sammie's, the little bit of facial hair he had seemed to match her hair color.

"Inquisitor, these are the two that we informed you of.", Hawke said calmly and softly.

   Varric chimed in,"The moody looking one is Fenris and the Warden is Alistair."

   Fenris glared at the dwarf before nodding,"Nice to meet you, Inq-"

"Grey, call me Grey. And I'm pleased to meet you as well."

"Grey? As in-"

   Hawke grunted and looked at Alistair,"Do not go there, please."

   The blond man nodded slowly,"Well it's nice to meet you."

   Grey nodded in agreement and looked at Hawke and Varric,"I trust that you'll show them around Skyhold."

   The four of them nodded slowly and started towards the door, only for Grey to add,"How long will you two be staying?"

   Alistair smiled shyly over his shoulder,"As long as you need us to, Grey."

   The Inquisitor smiled gently as the others left him alone in the War Room. Hawke and Varric led the two new additions to the Inquisition around Skyhold. They showed Fenris and Alistair everyone's favorite hang out spots and the secret little nooks and crannies hidden about the beautiful kingdom-like area.

   Varric smiled wide,"You know, we haven't showed them the library."

"The library is off limits right now.", Hawke said through gritted teeth.

   The dwarf raised an eyebrow,"Off limits, I don't- Oh..."

"I would like to know what you two are hiding from us.", Fenris said with venom laced within his words.

   Hawke shot a look that indicated that it was his issue since he opened this can of worms. The dwarf cleared his throat before he mumbled,"I suppose there's nothing wrong with letting you see the library."

   Although she was frustrated with Varric letting the information slip out, the tall brunette said nothing and simply went along with the plan. The four of them made their way to the library, passing Dorian's usual spot only to find the area vacant. Varric lead them down the stairs and the group was soon face to face with the image of Avril translating on of the library books and Solas leaning over her shoulder to read along.

"Avril...", Fenris and Alistair breathed out in unison.

   The curly haired girl looked up at the group and smiled shyly, uttering a hello that even she herself probably couldn't hear. The two new additions to the Inquisition stared blankly at her, absolutely astonished that her old wild personality was now quiet and conservative.

"You've changed.", Fenris said softly, but his tone sounded sour.

   Alistair jumped into the conversation,"For the better, of course. Although you could never change my...opinion of you. It's been awhile since we've..."

   Hawke cleared her throat, signaling the two - especially Alistair - to stop talking. She could see the pained look etched into Avril's face; a look that hinted that the Dalish girl should know Fenris and Alistair, but she had no recollection of them so it made little to no sense.

"Da'len...", Solas whispered to Avril, who quickly snapped her head around to face him.

The bald elf lowered his voice to where only Avril could hear what he was saying,"Do you know who these people are? Have you met them before?"

She sat there quietly for a good while until standing to say,"I get this feeling that I should know who they are, but I have no idea who they are."

Fenris's eyes went wide upon hearing Avril say such a thing. He used to be one of her closest friends, but he didn't see any sign of that right now.

"But...", Alistair murmured in a bewildered tone, rather unsure of how he should carry on this conversation.

Avril smiled politely at her "new" friends before leaving the room, Solas close behind her. Alistair looked at Hawke and whispered,"I wish we would have listened to you."

The dark haired woman nodded slowly as he spoke once more,"It probably would have hurt less that way..."


	12. Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get spicy between Dorian and Grey.

Grey sat on the edge of his desk, looking up at a concerned Dorian. The ex-Tevinter paced back and forth in front of the desk in an anxious manner.

"Those two shouldn't be here, not while she's like this at least.", he groaned in frustration before standing in between the leader of the Inquisition's legs.

Dorian's hands rested on the desk, a hand on each side of Grey's body,"Alright, I understand what you're trying to tell me. I'll stop worrying about her and start focusing on us."

   The wild eyed boy smiled wide at his lover's words,"That's not exactly where I was going with what I was saying, but I do like the sound of that."

   Grey quickly pulled off Dorian's shirt and his fingers lightly traced down his chest, finding every crease and crevice with ease. He pulled Dorian closer to him and let his lips connect with the mage's. The Inquisitor's arms snaked around Dorian's neck and his hands gently pulled at his thick, dark hair. Earning a groan from his companion, Grey took this as an opportunity to let his tongue slither inside Dorian's mouth. His tongue explored every single spot in the other man's mouth.

Dorian grunted and eagerly pulled Grey's shirt and started undoing his pants. The Inquisitor swatted his hand away with a smirk on his face,"Not yet, there's much more to do before you get there."

The mage's eyes went a little wide, seeing this new side of Grey was a bit shocking, but turned him on in so many different ways. He simply nodded and waited for the silver haired boy to make the next move.

Grey tilted his head up and buried his face in the crook of Dorian's neck, planting light kisses down his neck. His lover sharply sucked in air in response, giving him the indication that he could continue. Grey could practically feel his eyes getting darker as the lust built up inside him with every second that passed him by.

   Soon enough, all the clothes that were on Grey had disappeared, peeled away from his skin by Dorian, who only seemed to be missing his shirt from his body. The stunningly handsome mage slowly laid kisses all the way down Grey's chest and stomach.

"You are sure about this, yes?", the ex-Tevinter asked slowly, looking up from his position in between Grey's legs.

   The Inquisitor squirmed from impatience, quickly nodding in response to his lover's question. Whether he chose to admit it or not, he was throbbing from anticipation of having Dorian's mouth wrapped around his member. His emotions were already running high because of everything that the mage had done to his up until this point.

   Dorian nodded as his tongue flicked up and down the tip of Grey's member, making the strong, fearless Inquisitor weak from his touch. He continued on like this for a few minutes until Grey gripped the hair behind Dorian's head, gently pushing his head to take him in.

   The mage snickered and looked up at him once again,"Rather eager, aren't we?"

"Y-Yes, I would say so...", Grey flushed with embarrassment.

   Dorian flashed him a smile before slowly taking him in, his teeth grazing Grey's skin. The dual wielding assassin gripped the edge of his desk, slowly coming undone and letting out minuscule moans every once and awhile. His lover gingerly bobbed his head at a sluggish pace, only making Grey crave more of his touch. Just as he was starting to really lose it, Dorian pulled his mouth off of the Inquisitor's hardened member.

"D-Dorian...", his eyes clouded over with a thick layer of lust, even more than before,"More, please...I'm begging of you."

The mage's dark eyes flickered, with what, Grey was unsure of at the very moment. Dorian slowly stroked his lover's manhood that was now dripping wet with precum. He took the dual wielding assassin's erect member in his mouth once again, gliding his tongue along his lover's manhood. Grey shuddered under his touch, letting out loud moans, only for Dorian to reach up with his free hand and cover his mouth.

   The Inquisitor trembled with pleasure as Dorian took all of his member in his mouth, pulling his head away slowly and massaging him with his hand once again. Grey let out muffled moans against his hand and could feel the coil in his stomach slowly starting to come undone. The way that the ex-Tevinter mage had made him feel in a matter of a few minutes was utterly unbelievable to him.

   Seconds after, Grey released himself into Dorian's mouth, finally feeling relieved from the pit that had formed in his stomach seemingly ages ago. Dorian slowly pulled away from him and swallowed every single bit of the bitter liquid that was in his mouth. He then licked and sucked on the tip of Grey's member, making sure that he cleaned it of every little drop of the white-ish clear discharge.

   Dorian slowly moved his hand from on top of his lover's mouth and stood up, pulling his shirt back on. Grey slowly slid off of the desk and pulled on his boxers and pants with much difficulty being as though he seemed to have legs like pudding at this point.

"That was wonderful.", Grey breathed out.

   Dorian snickered and helped him pull his shirt back on and button it,"I feel the exact same way."

   The Inquisitor smiled wide and cleaned his desk as the mage spoke again,"However, you're quite loud when being pleasured."

   Grey's face flushed a crimson red as he looked back at him,"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't apologize, it turned me on. I just didn't figure that you would want anybody knowing...about us...", he said slowly, whispering the last bit of his words.

   The dual wielding assassin gently cupped his face and smiled softly,"I don't mind at all if anybody knows about us, Dorian. I would scream it at the rooftops if given the opportunity, but I don't want to embarrass you in any type of way, shape, or form. I don't want the others in the Inquisition to tease you for-"

   Dorian's face lit up and softened at the same time,"You're truly remarkable, Grey, I'm glad that I was the one to fall for you and nobody else."

   The Inquisitor gently pecked his lips,"It brings me great joy in this dark, dark world as well."


	13. Fixable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avril dreams of Solas.

Grey bounded down the steps from his office and made his way towards the library to see Solas. His stormy eyes scanned the room to see the bald mage, finding him sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.

"Solas?", he whispered as he took a seat beside him.

   The elven man looked up at the Inquisitor with bloodshot eyes and raised an eyebrow,"Yes? What is it, Grey?"

   He shook his head and leaned back into the couch,"Nothing really is up with me, I wanted to talk with you; what exactly is going on?"

   The mage cleared his throat and shot him a quizzical look, almost as if he had grown three heads in the past few seconds,"There is not a thing wrong with me, why would you say such an absurd thing?"

"Your eyes, Solas, I can see that they're clouded over with pain. Not to mention the fact that it seems like you've been crying.", the leader of the Inquisition said softly.

   The wise man laughed lowly then suddenly looked away,"I've been hiding something from everyone, and I'm not proud of it."

"Don't tell me, you're Corypheus.", Grey laughed.

   Solas smiled a little and shook his head, his eyes finding a way back to Grey's once again,"No, that's not it. Everyone has been concerned about Avril and her missing a small piece of her memory, so they came to me for help. They all asked me if there was some sort of magic or something of that realm that could help her, and I told them all I didn't know..."

"Solas, you didn't...", the assassin whispered.

"I did...I've been keeping vital information from everyone concerning Avril and her memories for my own ignorant, selfish reasons.", the pointy eared man said in a hoarse voice, unable to look at the Inquisitor again.

   Grey sat up straight and shook his head, his silvery hair flopping in his face and covering part of his eyes,"What would you have to gain from keeping such a thing a secret?"

"She was with that Grey Warden - Alistair - and together they did amazing things, brought so many people to a united group in order to save the world. How could I live up to such a thing?", he groaned and buried his face in his hands once again.

   The man with the stormy eyes couldn't help but laugh a little,"You're jealous of Alistair?"

"Inquisitor, please. I wouldn't tell anybody this but you, as I trust you greatly, so please don't tease me on the matter."

"I'm not teasing you, it's just...You two are so different, you don't even know if she views you that way or not."

   Solas' eyes became a shade darker as he spoke,"I know, I find it hard to believe that I have developed such feelings for her when we hardly speak with one another. We both just sit in here and tediously work the day away, but I enjoy her company very much."

"What are you waiting for? Go tell her.", Grey laughed.

   The elven man took a shaky breath and stood up,"Thank you, I will."

*

   Avril lay in her bed, curled up and staring out the window. If she were any other person, she would say that the view of the dark clouds from a distance was beautiful, but she wasn't any other person. She was Avril, who scared of falling and was just wimpy little...Avril. She sometimes hated her name and the way it sounded, wishing that she had a more girly, soft name that just rolled off the tongue. However, she was doomed to forever be Avril, and nothing was going to change that. As the clouds in the sky moved closer to Skyhold, she pulled the covers over her head and closed her eyes. The Dalish girl thought that if she did as much then she could fall asleep, and she had.

   Later she found herself in a familiar village with Solas, sitting on a stone ledge that dropped a few feet to a lower level of land. Upon really taking in the small village, she discovered that it was once a place that she had lived.

"Why are we here?", she softly asked her male companion.

   He tilted his head slightly and flashed her a smile,"Because, this is a place that makes you comfortable. Therefore, I took you here."

   Avril couldn't help but smile at his response, simply gazing into his eyes and searching for any sort of emotions. She found that Solas was rather hard to read and that if she wanted to know what he was thinking or feeling, she almost always had to ask.

"Avril...", he whisper trailed off as he looked back into her eyes.

"Yes, Solas?", she beamed.

   Taken by surprise, Avril soon felt the fellow elf's lips crash against hers. She couldn't seem to recall when the last time she felt this sensation was, so it must have been quite a long time. Without hesitation, she had kissed him back and pulled him closer, craving even more than what the wise man was providing.

   However, he slowly pulled away from her and whispered,"Not here."

"But nobody's here.", Avril bit her lip and gently rubbed his chest, finding courage and confidence deep inside her shy shell.

   Solas took a deep breath and lightly caressed her cheek,"Wake up, da'len. You have to wake up first."

   Avril shot awake and gently patted her face that had a somewhat dewy feel to it. She couldn't believe that what happened with Solas only happened in a dream, being as though it felt so real. She most certainly wasn't going to tell him about this experience either, because she found that to be rather weird. What would she say?

"Hey, I had this crazy dream about you, but I wish it was real."

   No, that sounded absolutely bizarre, even to her. Avril had made up her mind, she wasn't going to bring it up to Solas even if the time arose for her to. Besides, she couldn't pursue him anyways, she was too much of a nervous wreck all the time. What has she gotten into?


	14. Invitations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hawke and Sammie slip away at the Winter Palace.

Grey had gathered everyone that he was closely acquainted with, including Fenris and Alistair, and told them all the big news. Those who wish to join are to travel with Grey and his advisors to the Winter Palace in Halamshiral. The reason that they're going in the first place is because the Inquisition has been informed that somebody is planning to assassinate Empress Celene, therefore threatening the entirety of Orlais.

"So...Who's going?", he flashed the crowd of his friends a billion dollar smile.

Josephine looked around the room and took a mental head count before looking to Grey,"We leave tonight Inquisitor, and I believe all of those who have the desire to go can."

"Wonderful.", Grey let out a puff of air, hating that someone would use such an event as a cover up for their true intentions.

*

Once everybody arrived at the Winter Palace, Sammie stood silently by herself in the ballroom. She wasn't on the dance floor, but she was close enough to it to indicate that she wanted to be. She wore a long, strapless sea foam green dress that was rather poofy from the waist down. Anybody in the room could tell from one hundred miles away that the dress complimented her gorgeous eyes perfectly.

"Evening, sweetheart.", she heard a voice behind her say as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

Sammie didn't have to turn around to know that it was the cool, calm, and collected Hawke. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face at the scarred woman's mild touch. The mage turned around in Hawke's arms and took in every little bit of her. She wore a red and gold suit-like outfit with a blue sash across her chest, a black cloth wrapped around her waist, and a gold belt to finish off the look.

"You look absolutely stunning.", Hawke smiled down at the blonde girl.

Sammie's face flushed crimson red as she uttered a thank you and listened to the next words that fell out of the confident woman's mouth,"Would you care for a dance?"

The blood mage nearly squealed from excitement and pulled her partner out onto the dance floor that was only a couple feet away. The two of them moved gloriously along the floor with the beat of the music in rhythm with the beat of their hearts.

The shaggy brunette leaned down after a few songs to whisper in Sammie's ear,"How about we get away for a little bit, do something a bit more thrilling?"

Sammie practically melted at her words, but gave her a simple nod, letting her guide her away from the party goers. Hawke and Sammie walked around hand in hand for awhile until they finally stumbled upon the library.

"Have a look around...", the dark eyed woman said.

The girl in the sea foam dress nodded and scoured the room, finally happening upon a hidden room. Hawke shot her a smirk before grabbing her hand and pulling her into the room, closing the entrance behind her.

As if they could read each other's minds, their lips connected with one another's, moving in synchronization as if they were one. Hawke parted Sammie's lips with her tongue and let it roam every crevice of her mouth. Such an action finally made the blonde girl moan in pleasure. Upon hearing this, the dark eyed woman reached behind Sammie and slowly unzipped her dress, letting it fall to the floor and leaving her in only her undergarments.

Not daring to break the kiss, the two of them slowly made their way to couch-like seating area. Hawke couldn't prevent the smirk that began to form as she crawled on top of her companion,"You have such an amazing body."

Sammie giggled lightly and started to pull off her clothes, only for her hands to be pinned above her head,"Not yet."

Hawke's eyes filled with lust as she attacked her neck with kisses, slowly making her way down to her breasts. Once her mouth had finally reached Sammie's chest, she eagerly snatched her bra off of her body. She couldn't help but attach her lips to one of the blonde's rosy pink buds, paying generous attention to her other breast with one of her hands.

Sammie moaned out in pure ecstasy, loving the feeling of her lover pleasuring her in such a way that she wasn't used to. She squirmed under Hawke's body as she thought of what she might do next, only making a wet sensation form in between her legs. She gripped at the brunette's back and her tongue grazed her erect bud,"H-Hawke...I-I need you..."

Teasing her, the strong woman massaged both of her breasts, squeezing them every now and then. Once Sammie's moans got louder, Hawke moved her lips to the other pink bud that was hardened by both excitement and the cool air. Soon after, the blonde's nipples secreted a thick, cloudy liquid that Hawke jumped at the chance to have in her mouth.

"Hawke, _please_!", she begged, feeling that her panties were now drenched.

The warrior snickered and hooked her fingers around the lacy undergarment, yanking it off of her lover's skin,"My, my...You're positively soaking."

The girl with emerald green eyes couldn't help but blush from the statement. Hawke slid a finger inside Sammie with ease, making her grip at the fabric of the couch. The brunette watched her slowly come undone as she pushed another finger inside her lover's womanhood. As she pumped her fingers in and out of her at a rapid pace, she could tell that Sammie was coming close.

With one more pushing motion with her fingers, Hawke pulled her fingers out and looked sternly at Sammie,"Open your mouth."

The blonde did as told and soon had Hawke's fingers in her mouth, tasting the sweet yet salty substance on her tongue. She relaxed and sucked on her partner's fingers for a few minutes, only to scream out in complete pleasure upon feeling Hawke lick up the slit between her legs. The warrior quickly covered her mouth and buried her face in between the mage's legs, pushing her tongue inside of her. Sammie was absolutely erupting with pleasure and even with Hawke covering her mouth she was rather loud.

The moans came to a halt a couple minutes later when Sammie had finally came. Hawke swallowed the substance without a second thought and licked the mage's womanhood clean. She quickly got up and helped her lover get dressed, as her legs were now pretty weak.

"My panties...", Sammie whined, looking up at the brunette.

Hawke simply smirked for probably the millionth time of the night, fixed Sammie's hair, and grumbled in her ear,"Keep them off, I'm not done with you yet, I will handle you back at Skyhold."

She nodded slowly as the warrior quickly zipped up her dress then grabbed her bum,"Oh and Sammie?"

"Hmm?"

"You are so loud.", Hawke laughed softly and grabbed the soaking panties, shoving them in her pocket.

Sammie's face turned the color of a tomato and she whispered,"I'm sorry..."

"Mmm, don't be, it was hot."


	15. Exposed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grey confronts Florianne. Avril and Alistair share a dance.

Grey anxiously awaited Empress Celesne's speech, as it was the perfect time to show everyone Grand Duchess Florianne's true colors. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a somewhat disheveled Sammie and a seemingly amused Hawke. He guessed that the two of them had something going on between them, but he didn't plan on say anything to either of them about it. Dorian rubbed his shoulders reassuringly before he made his way across the ballroom to the Grand Duchess.

"We owe the people one last show, your grace.", the leader of the Inquisition said while standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the masqueraded blonde.

She turn on her heel quickly to face him as the party goers all gasped,"The eyes of every noble is upon us, your grace. This is your party and we wouldn't want them to think you had lost control."

Grey started up the steps slowly as Florianne shifted uncomfortably under the stares of everyone in the room, but spoke nonetheless,"Wh-Who would not be delighted to speak with you, Inquisitor?"

"Oh? But I seem to recall you saying 'all I needed was to keep you out of the ballroom long enough to strike'.", the silver haired boy raised an eyebrow to the noblewoman.

He then clasped his hands behind his back, walking past the blonde woman,"When your archers failed to kill me in the gardens, I feared you wouldn't save me this last dance."

The people in the ballroom gasped once again as the Inquisitor circled the Grand Duchess,"It's so easy to lose good graces...you even framed your own brother for a murder. It was an ambitious plan: Celene, Gaspard, the entire council of Heralds, all of your enemies under one roof."

Grand Duchess Florianne slowly backed up as she stuttered over her words,"A very...entertaining story, but you don't think that anybody would believe your wild stories?"

Empress Celene spoke up,"That will be a matter for a judge to decide, cousin."

"Gaspard!", the blonde woman spoke out desperately,"You cannot believe this, you know I would never-"

But it was too late, Gaspard had already turned around, no longer listening to the woman's words. He went up the steps and her words fell short. Guards passed by the man and made their way towards the Duchess,"Gaspard!"

Grey took a deep breath as his face twisted with utter disgust,"You lost this fight ages ago, your grace. You were just the last one to find out."

As the guards ushered the traitor away, the stormy eyed boy looked up at Empress Celene,"Your Imperial Majesty, I think we should speak in private, elsewhere."

*

Avril stood in the corner of the room fiddling her thumbs after Grey's announcement involving Florianne. She had hoped to at least have the opportunity to dance with Solas just once tonight, but she hadn't seen him since everyone had first gotten here. Ready to give up and wait outside for everyone, she stepped out of the shadows and started making her way to the exit of the ballroom.

However, she felt somebody take a firm, yet gentle grasp of her hand, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. She looked back and smiled at the scruffy blond that stood nervously before her,"Can I...Would you...I mean you don't have to..."

He took a shaky breath and muttered,"Can I have this last dance, Avril?"

She smiled for the first time that night as she looked up at him,"Of course, Alistair, sounds wonderful."

His face lit up as he led her to the dance floor that only a few couples still occupied. The Grey Warden held her close enough for her to hear his heart beating like a drum. The Dalish girl laughed softly at his wild heartbeat before looking up at him,"Thank you for this."

"Of course.", he beamed.

She shook her head and her face became unreadable,"I mean it, thank you. This is the most fun I've had in awhile. I can't even dream about amusing events and scenarios; all I dream about is..."

Alistair rubbed her back and nodded understandingly,"You don't have to tell me, I know what you are going through. If you ever need somebody to talk to you about the dreams and the constant thoughts, I will always be here for you."

"How did you know about the...the horrible thoughts...?", she whispered in a worried tone as tears started to form in her eyes.

"Because, I have them too.", he gave her a half hearted smile in order to make her feel better despite the fact that he felt miserable, an admirable trait at the least.

Once the song ended, the two of them stepped off the dance floor with larger than life smiles plastered on their faces. However, Avril couldn't shake the feeling that somebody was watching her throughout her entire encounter with the strong blond Grey Warden. And quite frankly, that terrified her.


	16. From Adamant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grey and pals go to Adamant and he must decide who stays in the Fade: Stroud or Hawke.

   Grey ran quickly to the main courtyard of Adamant along with a majority of his friends, including Avril. Even though she thought she would be useless in battle, she proved to be a valuable asset when fighting, being much more skilled than most imagined her to be. Upon arrival, they all watched a horrendous scene unfold before them. A woman known as Clarel is swooped up by a dragon, her blood dripping from its mouth. Sammie stood with her mouth agape, becoming more nauseous by the second. However, Clarel quickly sacrificed herself in order to slay the dragon. Feeling the ground starting to crumble beneath his feet, Grey shouted out to his friends,"Run!"

   The group was once again running for their lives as the floor began to fall under their feet. Unfortunately, their feet weren't quick enough to save them from the inevitable peril that came to them.

"Hang on!", Grey yelled out as he opened up a rift as a feeble attempt to save their lives.

    When they all realized where they were, their hearts sank. They were physically in the Fade, not anywhere close to safety. Hawke groaned as she hung upside down by what seemed to be vines,"If this is the afterlife, the Chantry owes me an apology. This looks nothing like the Maker's bosom."

   Grey laughed softly, along with everyone else, but soon remembered where they were and became serious once more. Once everyone had come to the same realization, they looked down in a moping manner.

"What do you see?", Dorian whispered shakily to his lover.

   The silver haired man blinked at the murky puddle at his feet,"I see a failure, one who let the entire world crumble at the hands of a monster..."

"I'm here, but I'm not me...I-I'm the old me, the one who thrives on the pain and agony of others. Make it stop!", Cole yelled out.

   Varric scowled and looked away,"Disgusting, I hate this place. It shows the fearful side of you, an obvious blind spot."

   Sammie sniffled and quickly cleared her throat,"I suggest that we start walking. If we stay here, they - whatever they are - will find us."

   Avril used her sleeve to wipe away the tears that had stained her cheeks,"I agree, I don't like it here."

   The Inquisitor nodded and began navigating his way through the Fade with his companions, paying close attention to his surroundings. Dorian sucked in a breath as they came upon a glowing figure,"Divine Justinia..."

   The spirit of Divine Justinia then explained to the group that Grey had to get his memories back before they could escape the Fade. However, they had to work swiftly because otherwise Nightmare would find them.

   The misty eyed leader trembled slightly in fear, but not enough for those who followed him to notice. Upon finding his memories, Grey stood with weak knees as he whispered,"The Mark...It isn't a gift from the Maker. I-It's a disgusting mistake!"

"You believe in the Maker, don't you?", Justinia questioned.

"Well, yes. Why do you ask?", he looked up at the woman.

   The glowing figure let out a laugh that sounded like what he imagined velvet would,"Then what happened to you isn't a mistake, child. You got the Mark from a series of events put into play by the Maker."

   He took a deep breath and nodded, letting her continue,"You should hurry, he might find you soon..."

"My, my, my...If it isn't the mighty Inquisitor.", a disembodied voice, that sounded an awful lot like Corypheus, called out.

   The silver haired man let out a growl as they pushed forward. The group fought their way through and eventually found their way to the end, seeing the exit before them. Unfortunately, it was blocked by none other than Nightmare himself. A rigorous battle ensued, but they could only weaken him to an extent.

"Go on ahead, I'll take care of him.", Stroud grunted while looking at Grey.

   Hawke shook her head and looked at the Grey Warden,"Don't be ridiculous, get out of here and save yourself. I'll take care of this...thing."

"Hawke...", Sammie whispered in a strained voice, reaching out for her.

   The blood mage gingerly held her hand as her lover spoke,"Whoever stays here will surely die, Inquisitor. It is your choice."

   The blonde, lovesick girl looked at Grey with pleading eyes, hoping that he would spare Hawke's life. Grey rubbed his temples, trying to figure out what the right decision was. However, in his eyes, letting one of his friends stay here in the Fade and die was not the right decision at all, no matter who it was.

"Be safe in here, Stroud. You're a wonderful man, and I'm sorry that you have to do such a thing.", the stormy eyed leader of the Inquisition finally stated in a hoarse voice.

   The group quickly ran to the exit, jumping through the rift as Stroud stayed behind to face Nightmare. Grey looked back one last time and frowned deeply before going through the exit like his friends had. Although he felt as if he had genuinely made the right decision in the long run, he still felt extremely guilty and deep sorrow for having to make the decision that he had.


	17. Recover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avril has learned a bit about her past and has a fight with Solas.

The Inquisitor slid his feet on the gravel at the entrance of Skyhold, too tired to even pick them up anymore. As the gates opened, he and his friends walked inside the place that they called home.

   Since they had left the Fade, Hawke and Sammie had not let go of each other's hands for even a single second. Avril occasionally shot them looks fueled with jealousy upon seeing the two of them so close. After all, the most romantic thing that had happened to her was Solas kissing her in a dream. She felt useless and pathetic, but she decided that she didn't want to be with him anyways. At least, not after what she saw of herself in the Fade.

"Avril?", she heard a familiar voice call her name.

   When the elven girl looked up, she realized that all of her friends that surrounded her moments ago were now gone. The only person that stood before her now was the blond Grey Warden that she shared a dance with at the Winter Palace,"Hmm?"

   He gave her a sympathetic look and reached out to rub her shoulder in a reassuring way, only for her to move her shoulder before his hand could even make contact,"Don't, please."

"What did you see in that disgusting place?", he whispered as the two of them sat down by the gate away from everybody else.

   The Dalish girl looked down and pulled her knees to her chest,"I saw you...And I saw my family, how disgusted with me they were."

"I'm sure it was just-"

"I loved you, didn't I?", she finally gathered the courage to actually look at him.

   Alistair's face had the look of pure shock and embarrassment plastered on it,"I...You and I...We...Yes. Well I hope so, that is. Not that you don't have the choice to care for who you want, you do. I'm just saying that-"

"I didn't know...I definitely would not have done some of the things that I did.", she gulped.

   The scruffy blond laughed softly before gingerly holding her hand in his,"Did you remember anything else while you were in there?"

"A lot of things...I saw...a lot of things I wish I hadn't."

"Oh, well I'm sorry that I'm unpleasant to see.", he shook his head before laughing again.

   Her eyes went wide as she gently squeezed his hand,"No! No, you were...wonderful. I wish I hadn't forgotten anybody, especially you."

   Out of the corner of her eye Avril saw Solas staring at the two of them, seeming rather angry. She wondered why he seemed so livid, but she pushed the thought aside and focused on her ex lover once again.

"Especially me? I...we uhmm...I understand.", he muttered in a rather flustered manner.

Avril laughed softly, finding it amusing how nervous Alistair gets, but her smile quickly faded,"I'm sorry I left you. Well I'm sorry I left everybody, but I'm really sorry that I left you."

The anxiety ridden blond man simply shrugged it off and gave her a smile,"Don't dwell on that. What's important is that we found each other."

She nodded before slowly standing up,"Sorry to cut this short, but I should probably get to work."

"Oh...I understand. So I'll erm...We will uh..."

The Dalish elf laughed and ruffled his hair,"Yes, I will see you later."

   She bounded up the stairs to the main building in Skyhold, finding her way to Solas' work area. Looking around the room, she saw that her items were scattered all about the room and her fellow elven being was simply working at his desk.

   Avril frowned and leaned forwards against his desk,"What happened to all of my belongings, Solas?"

"I am unsure, da'len.", the bald man shrugged off her question and didn't even bother to look up as he responded.

   She groaned and started gathering her things,"You don't have to act like such a child. Besides, I didn't even do anything to you."

"Didn't do anything?!", his eyebrows furrowed together as he jumped up from his seat.

   Avril took a shaky breath and stayed quiet, letting him continue,"I thought that you were different, da'len; We even kissed, but I see now that none of that meant a single thing to you."

"We never-", the Dalish scribe stopped herself as her eyes went wide,"You mean that my dream..."

   Solas nodded and crossed his arms,"You and I were in the Fade, it wasn't a dream."

   The curly haired girl shook her head and made her way towards the door,"I can't believe you would do such a thing, you disgust me."

"D-Da'len!", the pointy eared man called after her.

"And do not, under any circumstances, call me that ever again!", Avril huffed before walking out and slamming the door behind her.


	18. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grey has a nightmare and Dorian is there to talk with him.

   Eyes filled with sorrow and pain, Grey watched as another one of his allies fell to the ground after a gruesome battle. The war raged on as the mighty Inquisitor now stood weak and hopeless in the center of the battlefield. His storm like eyes widened in horror as one of the many enemies in the crowd targeted Sammie. The mage with luscious blonde locks soon was struck in the chest, leaving a hole in the center and ultimately falling to her death. Her golden hair was now stained crimson with her blood. The wispy haired hero stared at her lifeless body as tears spilled from his eyes, crying shamelessly over his friend's death.

"Sammie!", a feminine voice cried out.

Grey watched the figure fight through the war zone to try and find its way to the fallen girl, and it wasn't long before he figured out who it was. He opened his mouth to scream to Hawke that somebody was trailing her, but it was too late. The shaggy brunette soon met the same demise as her lover, however much more brutal. Although it was a quicker death, the sticky red substance had puddled much more with a deep cut into her neck.

His sobs became silent and he soon realized that he could not found his voice, no matter how hard he tried. His tears soon blinded him from seeing any more, which he was more than thankful for. All of his worst fears had come true all at once, letting his world unravel right before his eyes.

   Soon after the silver haired Inquisitor's eyesight was blurred, his ears started ringing with blood curdling screams of horror from all directions. He felt hands grabbing at every single inch of his body, almost as if it was their last dying plea for him to save them. Their fingernails dig into his exposed skin and clawed at him, yelling at him to help them win the war. However, their cries for Grey's assistance were all moot as his feet felt as if they were now a part of the ground beneath him and his mind could no longer instruct his mouth as to what to say.

*

   Grey's eyes shot upon and he immediately launched him out from under his covers and onto the wooden floor of his bedroom. His hands were clammy and sweat droplets dripped down his forehead and nose as he tended to get sweaty when he was anxious. Without a second thought, he hit his knees and gripped at the wooden panels beneath him, beginning to sob uncontrollably, crying out for Dorian every time that he took a breath. His tears rolled down his cheeks then fell onto his hands and the floor.

   Jumping in surprise when the door swung open, he turned his head to see the ex-Tevinter mage sitting beside him with both concern and horror etched into his face. Grey collapsed into his lover's arms, burying his face in his muscular, tanned chest as he continued to wail. Dorian kissed the top of his head as he rubbed his back comfortingly and whispered to him that it was all going to be okay in the end.

"Everyone died right in front of me, I couldn't do a damn thing about it!", the leader of the Inquisition cried out much louder than he had initially intended to.

   The handsome mage gave him a crooked smile,"It was all a dream, Grey, every single one of us is fine. There's nothing to be upset about."

   As he gripped onto Dorian's shirt, Grey's sobbing soon came to a stop. In a hoarse, tired voice he choked out his words,"I saw it in the Fade too, I let everyone down. It was all so gruesome and brutal to watch..."

"But it isn't real, don't let them get in your head. You're one of the few people I consider myself closely acquainted with, and I can't...lose you.", the ex-Tevinter's words trailed off towards the end of his minuscule speech.

   The Inquisitor sniffled and looked up into his lover's dark eyes,"What are you trying to tell me exactly?"

"I'm attempting to admit my true feelings for you, but I don't think that now is the appropriate time to do so. We can discuss this at a later time."

"But-"

   His dark eyes grew even darker as he spoke again,"Another time, Grey, please."

"I understand...", the misty eyed man whispered softly before letting silence fill the room as his body molded to the other man's.

   Grey was only hoping that all of the dark and sinister thoughts that haunted his dreams would soon leave him in the nights to come.


	19. Playful Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Iron Bull is silly and Hawke and Sammie feel things.

   The Iron Bull stood in front of Seeker Cassandra with a wide stance as she whacked him repeatedly with a long wooden stick like one would a piñata. Before every swing that she took, the Qunari man would flex his muscles in a feeble attempt to prepare himself for the blow coming at him. Sammie, Avril, and Hawke walked up to the scene with bewildered looks etched into their faces. The blonde blood mage squeezed her lover's hand for reassurance, more of reassurance for herself than her brown haired companion, but reassurance nonetheless.

"What in Maker's breath is going on here...?", Avril breathed out, her eyes still wide from the shock of seeing Cassandra hitting the Iron Bull as if candy would fall out of his bum after a couple of more swings.

   The Seeker dropped the long wooden stick on the ground, crossing her arms and turning to face the small group that had now formed. The Iron Bull took a few deep breaths to bring his panting to a stop before he answered the elven girl,"Although I wasn't in the Fade, which I'm grateful for, I don't want those monsters to have the upper hand and know my weaknesses. I want them to know that I expect everything..."

The large, pale Qunari man's face contorted into a grimace before he opened his mouth to speak again," ** _EVERYTHING!!!_** "

Hawke and Sammie stood staring at the Iron Bull with their mouths agape and their eyes wide. The two of them now had reason to believe that this man had lost his damn marbles.

The shy elven woman nervously twisted her hair as she stared at the ground, not expecting the response that she received,"Oh...Well I'll leave you to learn how to...expect everything then..."

With that, she hurried off to the main building in Skyhold, leaving all of her comrades behind. Seeker Cassandra glared at the large man before stomping off, seemingly in the same direction as Avril. Hawke tightly gripped Sammie's hand before running towards an old, abandoned building, leaving only the Iron Bull standing in Cassandra's usual spot.

"What...? What did I do? Was it something I said?!", the pale Qunari male called out to no one in particular considering everyone he was speaking with quickly left.

*

Hawke lead her lover off towards a more decrypt building in Skyhold, walking inside and shutting the rusty door behind them. The brunette then pushed her up against the wall, molding their lips together. Sammie melted into the deep, passionate kiss, breathing in the wild eyed brunette's outdoorsy scent as she did so. The long the two of them kissed, the more intoxicating Hawke's scent became to the mage. By now it was getting to the point of borderline obsession, which is what made Sammie pull free of the dark eyed woman's grasp.

"Is something wrong?", Hawke raised a dark eyebrow to the green eyed girl.

   The long, blonde haired woman simply smiled and shook her head,"No, nothing is wrong, my dear."

   The dark eyed woman simply nodded before kissing the top of her lover's head,"If you insist..."

"I do..."

   Little did Hawke know that Sammie was just having trouble with the fact that she had become so attached to the heroine. Sure, she really, genuinely cared for her, but she was afraid of hurting her. She was so afraid that she had just pushed her away when in fact she wanted it to go so much further.


	20. Taming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grey's merry band of misfits tames a dragon!

   While everyone else was busy training for the enormous battle against Corypheus, Grey snuck off with a select few comrades, and drank from the Well of Sorrows. The so called Well of Sorrows is buried deep within Mythal's Temple. Along the way, he gained new allies, the Sentinels, a group of elves whom protected the temple.

   The Well of Sorrows is small body of water, practically a pond, at the top of an extraordinarily tall staircase. The "pond" itself was said to possess ancient elven knowledge, knowledge that could be granted to any who drank from it. Upon drinking from it, Grey's mind was instantly flooded with voices, so many that he couldn't hear his own voice in his head. As a result, the silvery haired man angered his elven ally, Solas, who said Grey had no right to take ancient elven knowledge, as he was not an elf.

Grey shook the thought from his head as he, and many of his comrades, approached the Altar of Mythal. The leader of the Inquisition had heard from the voices to come here, as they needed Mythal to defeat Corypheus.

"Is this it? Are you sure this is the place?", one person asked.

"I'm sure, I can feel it.", the foggy eyed leader whispered as he walked.

The Inquisitor crossed the grassy, open field towards a stone platform with a statue on it. He narrowed his eyes as he climbed the steps to the shrine. Asking no one in particular, he stared at the statue as he spoke,"You think this is Mythal...?"

Hearing somebody else walk up the short staircase, he turned to see Morrigan,"Doubtful, she's just a legend, isn't she?"

Both Avril and Grey's face twisted in disgust, but the Inquisitor was the only one that spoke up,"And what do you want, Morrigan?"

"I came to see if this all-knowing being that those elves protected the temple for is real."

The wispy haired man grumbled,"So you came here to stick your nose in my business again is what I'm hearing."

The dark haired woman rolled her eyes and rested a hand on her hip,"Just do whatever to get this...this Mythal woman here."

"You guys can go back, I'll call for you if I need you, yea?"

They all nodded and walked out of the clearing as well as out of sight. Grey took a shaky breath and mumbled what seemed like nonsense to Morrigan, ultimately summoning a grey haired older woman with a dark headpiece atop her head,"Mother?!"

"This is your mother...?", he asked in a dumbfounded tone,"Why didn't you tell us that Mythal was your mother?"

"Because I didn't know either!", she shot her mother an angered glance.

The elderly woman grunted before speaking,"Yes, I am Mythal."

"It is a pleasure to finally have the opportunity to meet you."

"At least somebody here has some manners. You could stand to learn from this young man, Morrigan.", she laughed lightheartedly.

The moody dark haired woman huffed and looked away, something in which Grey ignored,"I've been told that you can help us defeat Corypheus..."

Mythal nodded slowly,"What you've heard is true, young one."

"Then you'll help us?"

"Mmph, not directly, but yes."

Morrigan scoffed, but Grey raised an eyebrow to the older woman,"Then how can you help?"

Morrigan's mother smirked as she spoke,"If you defeat the Guardian of the Altar, then they will assist you in your battle against the darkspawn magister."

As quickly as she had appeared earlier, she disappeared right before their eyes. The annoying dark eyed woman crossed her arms,"You know, I'm starting to become glad that I'm not the one who drank from the Well of Sorrows."

"I'm not! I have to defeat this Guardian thing!"

The dark haired woman shrugged it off before walking away from the Inquisitor. Upon hearing something screech in the sky above them, the group rushed back to where Grey stood, only to be faced with a rather large dragon.

"What do we do?!", someone called out.

"We must tame this dragon so that we have assistance in the final battle!"

The dragon roared while flapping its wings, sucking multiple people into its perimeter, breathing fire at their feet. Ranged fighters aimed for its head in an attempt to confuse it or blind it. Meanwhile, the melee fighters went after the dragon's legs in hopes of weakening the legs so that it can't move around as much, making it easier to attack.

"Watch out!", the Iron Bull ran and pushed Sera out of the range of the dragon's fiery breath.

The goofy blonde girl gasped as she looked up to see the Qunari man already running back with a burnt leg. She immediately stood back up after the sight of him and aimed an arrow straight towards the dragon's eye, only missing by a little bit.

A rogue woman shot an arrow with a grappling hook attached to it before yelling out,"Around the legs, quick!"

Blackwall and Hawke quickly did as told, wrapping the rope around the large creature's front legs, angering it more. Cole then viciously stabbed at the tied legs, mumbling something about the dragon hurting the Iron Bull.

Cassandra grunted before charging at the creature's back legs, hitting it with her shield. An attack in which everyone's favorite dwarf, Varric, called out,"Very strategic, Seeker!"

Out of the corner of Grey's line of vision, he swore that he could see the tall brunette blushing. The dual wielding assassin smiled at the sight of seeing a smirk spread across Varric's mouth, obviously seeing the pink tint on Cassandra's face as well.

   The wispy haired leader then took a chance, aiming one of his daggers for the beast's side then sending it sailing through the air. The small weapon sunk into the dragon's side as Sammie casted a spell that momentarily stunned it. Avril slashed her sword across its left hind leg, making it cry out in pain. Cole frowned deeply and went away from the scene of the battle for a bit, hating that they have to hurt something that is soon to be their ally.

With Cassandra, the Iron Bull, Alistair, and Avril slicing at the dragon's legs, it finally fell to the ground in defeat. Alistair raised his sword the sky as everyone but Cole cheered,"And it is tamed!"

The former Grey Warden put his sword in his sheath as Cole swiftly came to untie the tamed beast's legs. The blond boy frowned and whispered things to the dragon that nobody else could hear. Sammie smiled softly as she watched the quirky boy comfort the dragon, finding joy in the fact that she had such an amazing guy as not only an ally, but a friend.


	21. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Iron Bull is there for Cole and Varric offers a drink to Cassandra.

   On their way back to Skyhold, Cole and the Iron Bull lagged behind the group, neither one of them particularly having a reason for doing as much. Cole shoved his hands in his pockets as he shuffled along the rocky path, handing his head as he did so. Whereas the Iron Bull stomped noisily through the rocks, seemingly upset over something even though he wasn't the one who felt such a way.

   Cole's larger than life hat gave his slim body more shade than it would if he didn't have it, something he was rather grateful for. However, no matter how warm he felt on the outside, he felt ten times as cold on the inside,"The Iron Bull?"

   The large man grunted before glancing over at the thin blond,"Hmm?"

"I feel bad..."

"What do you mean, kid?"

The boy with the huge hat frowned and grabbed the sides of it with both hands, pulling the brim of his hat down in a feeble attempt to comfort himself,"That dragon, it felt pain much earlier than the time that we...tamed...it."

He went on, mulling over every thought he had in his head while the creature was hurting,"Protect, must protect...Watch the head...Throbbing, hurting, yearning for safety...Too many to defend against, I'm becoming weak. The legs, tied and bound, make me feel like the monster I am. Want to help, want to feel useful, not feared. Why must I fit like a puzzle piece into the ideas of who I am?"

"I understand what you're saying, but was that your thoughts, or the dragon's? It gets sorta muggy sometimes, kid."

Cole let go of the brim of his hat, huffing and shoving his hands in his pockets once again,"I think both? Sometimes it's hard to tell which thought belongs to who, who feels all the pain that's in my head, and which being has pure intentions. Not everyone has thoughts of helping people like those in the Inquisition do. And sometimes, even then..."

"Not everyone in the Inquisition just wants to save others, is that what you're trying to say?"

"Yes! Exactly that! Thank you, the Iron Bull."

The Qunari man stifled a laugh before looking down at the quirky man beside him,"Sure, kid, anytime."

"Does your leg still feel a burning sensation?", the blond finally asked the question that was racing through his mind, a question he was positive was his own and not somebody else's.

Bull chuckled and crossed his arms across his chest,"Yea, my leg still hurts pretty badly, but I'm trying not to pay it too much mind. I don't want to be consumed by pain, it's a miserable state of living if you ask me."

Cole thought about what the Iron Bull said for quite some time before he answered him,"You are trying to help me, like you helped Sera, are you not?"

"The way I helped Sera was physical, but the way I'm trying to help you is all about feelings, an internal battle.", he grunted in response.

The strange yet intriguing boy smiled brightly, genuinely happy,"Thank you, the Iron Bull."

"Don't mention it, kid.", Bull smiled back at him before looking up to see they were at the entrance of Skyhold once again.

*

Cassandra absentmindedly strolled over to her normal spot behind the tavern and beside the training dummies. The tough brunette sat in the grass as she stared up at the night sky, admiring the stars for all of the bright beauty they brought to the darkness.

"Beautiful night, isn't it, Seeker?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked over to the man standing in front of her,"It truly is, yes. Now what is it that you came over here for, Varric?"

The dwarf snickered and shook his head,"Always such a suspicious mind, I wonder how it came to be that way..."

The tall woman rolled her eyes as she stood up, realizing that she isn't really as tall as she thought, just taller than the dwarf that stood before her,"Just tell me what it is that you want from me instead of standing here, wasting my time...Please."

"Come to the tavern with me.", he said simply.

She crossed her arms in a defensive manner,"Why would I--"

"Can't you just come with me? The two of us could just have a couple of drinks, talk about whatever it is that we want to talk about. Doesn't that sound relaxing, Seeker?"

Cassandra huffed as she felt her face start to heat up like it had earlier when they were fighting the dragon,"The offer is tempting..."

"A night of drinking with everyone's favorite dwarf, what could be better?"

Not feeding any more into his ego, as he didn't need it, the woman simply started making her way towards the tavern. An action in which Varric followed after her with a smirk on her face,"I knew you couldn't turn me down."


	22. Burns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alistair and Avril talk about feelings, but will Solas ruin the moment?

Avril stared at the looking glass in nothing but her undergarments, becoming more and more sick by the second. She stares at the burns on her abdomen before turning around to see them on her upper back. The elven girl knew that the burns from the dragon would heal soon, the medics said so, but in the mean time she constantly felt pain in those areas and hated how her skin shriveled up because of it. Many others had burns as well, like the Iron Bull, but this felt all too familiar for the Dalish girl, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Upon hearing a knock at the door, she jumped a bit before calling out,"Come in!"

As if it were timed perfectly, as soon as she was done getting dressed, somebody walked in. The bright blonde haired woman looked up to see a comforting face,"Alistair..."

"Hi! Er...hi. Is this a uh...a bad time to drop by...?", he rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous manner.

She shook her head and laughed softly, finding his mannerisms adorable,"Nope, nothing's up, why?"

The blond man cleared his throat as he looked down at her,"I just want to talk with you...About uh...what you remember, yea?"

   The curly haired girl looked out of the large windows of her room as she spoke,"Alright, go ahead."

   He took a deep breath and focused on her  although she was looking out the window,"I was hoping you would start. Uh...Can you just tell me what you remember?"

   Avril laughed softly before looking up at him,"I remember loving you, a lot actually, and I remember being a Grey Warden. I vaguely remember all the adventures we went on, and that we had fun together."

"You remember loving me...?", he smiled widely.

   She nodded then grimaced,"I also seem to recall Morrigan coming to me about you...helping her..."

   Alistair's face heated up as he looked away,"Yes, that was definitely a thing...A thing that happened."

"You didn't do it.", the girl said as more of a statement than a question.

   The blond man chuckled and shook his head,"I didn't, no."

   Without hesitation, the Dalish girl wrapped her arms around him,"You and I rebuilt the Grey Wardens, I remember that, too."

   The hazel eyed man nodded as his arms snaked around her waist,"And we could do it again. If er...If you want to."

"I don't mind, it's a noble cause. They made me feel like I belonged when I had nowhere to go, and I'm forever indebted because of that."

   The two smiled widely and stared into each other's eyes, taking in the moment. They stood like that for what seemed like forever until Alistair broke the silence,"Can I uhmm...kiss you? I get that you might not be comfortable with that, but I had to ask because--"

"Alistair?"

"Hmm?"

   Avril laughed quietly as she whispered,"Shut up..."

   The man looked confused, but quickly figured it out when he felt her lips against his. This was the closest the two of them been in years, and it was making him slowly come undone. The way she spoke, the way she fought, the way she got angry anytime she saw Morrigan, and the way she looked when she finally pieced together that the two of them used to be madly in love. Priceless.

   The door to the room swung open, making the two of them jump apart. Avril looked over to see Solas, his face scrunched up in disgust,"So as soon as your old friend is back, you forget about everybody else?"

"I didn't...We didn't...I-I...", she stumbled over her words.

"Sammie needs you. That is, if you still care about other people besides this guy."

   Alistair glared daggers into the elven man,"I have a name."

   Choosing to ignore him, the pointy eared fellow spoke once more,"Come down to the main hall, I'll take you to her."

   Avril started tearing up as worry filled her,"What happened to her? Is she hurt?"

"If we don't hurry, she might be." , he grunted before slamming the door, making her jump.

   The blond haired man rested his hands on both of her shoulders,"You want me to go with you?"

"N-No...I think I'll go by myself, I don't want to worry you."

   He smiled slightly before she opened the door and pounced down the stairs. Was she ever going to understand? Or was she just going to stay in the dark until he told her? That's something that Alistair just wasn't sure of yet.


	23. Locked Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sammie's blood magic finally caught up with her.

Solas led the fellow elf down a long, dark hallway, apparently deciding not to tell her what happened to her friend. The bald man glanced over at the girl walking beside him,"I was unaware that your flame with that Grey Warden was serious..."

"Why does it bother you?", she whispered while straining to see down the dark hallway.

   The man with pointed ears sighed deeply and glanced over at her,"Because believe it or not, I actually did, or rather I do, have feelings for you. I understand entirely that I don't deserve to be forgiven, especially after what I did, but I miss having you around."

   The dark blonde haired woman bit her lip and nervously played with her hair before she responded,"I think that just...need some time."

   He nodded and opened the door at the end of the hallway, revealing a jail-like area with a floor that seemed to be crumbling and a missing wall.

"Why are we here, Solas...?"

"Because Sammie is.", he grunted while carefully maneuvering towards a jail cell.

   Avril slowly made her way over, trying desperately not to slip, which would ultimately lead to her falling to her death. Once the two of them had made it to the cell, the dark eyed girl gripped at the bars, seeing her friend's disheveled appearance,"Sammie, what happened to you?"

   The mage slowly got up, groggily making her way over to the bars,"My guilty pleasure finally caught up to me is all..."

"What do you mean?"

   Solas crossed his arms across his chest, his eyebrows furrowing as he spoke,"Your friend here partakes in dark magic, blood magic to be specific."

"I don't...She could not have possibly...Is this a joke?"

"If it is, it's a terrible one.", she heard a voice from across the room say.

   She spun on her heel to see the Inquisitor making his way to the side of the room that they were all on. Grey looked into the cell before taking a deep breath,"Her judgment is tomorrow, but I haven't quite figured out what to do with her just yet. Blood magic is an extremely dangerous skill for a mage to practice, and I never imagined someone so close to me could betray my trust without a second thought..."

"Grey, I never--", Sammie started.

The wispy, silver haired man shook his head, cutting her off,"I don't really care to hear what you have to say right now. Your words can be said tomorrow during your judgement tomorrow."

Before the blink of an eye, the leader of the Inquisition had made his way to the other side of the room again, and went through the door. Sammie gulped and sat down on the sorry excuse of a bed provided for her,"I don't think that could have gone  _any_ worse."

"On the contrary, he could have just killed you right here. That would have been worse, yes?", the bald elven man tilted his head.

Sammie grunted and looked up at the fellow mage,"Hey Solas?"

"Hmm?"

"Shut up...", she grumbled before lying back on the mattress with her hands behind her head.

He frowned slightly then nodded,"Very well, I will leave then."

Sammie sighed of relief, but immediately shot up and ran over to the bars when she saw him dragging Avril away with him,"Hey! What are you doing?! I want you to go away, not her!"

The bald, lanky man threw her a glance over his shoulder, smirking slightly,"And let her help you escape? I don't think so. You two are far too close to be left alone together without people wondering if she's busting you out."

The curly haired girl gave her friend an apologetic look before Solas led her back through the door. He mumbled under his breath while leading her back down the dimly lit hallway.

"What was that?"

"What was what?", he raised an eyebrow, giving her a quizzical look.

She rolled her eyes and huffed,"What were you mumbling about just then?"

The elven mage shrugged and looked straight ahead,"I was just talking to myself about how after I help you find your way back, you'll just go back to that Warden of yours."

"What exactly is your problem with Alistair?", Avril threw her hands in the air, frustrated and fed up with his child-like behavior.

Solas shrugged,"Maybe because he took what was mine."

"Oh, Dread Wolf take me, I wasn't yours to begin with."

"That can be arranged...", he whispered so quietly that she couldn't hear him.

"Excuse me?"

He looked down at her as he spoke,"I just don't know too terribly much about the Dread Wolf is all...All I know is that it's an elven belief that he takes terrible people, right?"

"I suppose, I was never told the actual story behind it since I moved around so much."

The bald man nodded slowly,"Ah, I see...Maybe one day we can look into it together."

"Maybe...As long as you don't try anything funny.", Avril narrowed her eyes at him, hoping that her forgiving him in a way wasn't a mistake.


	24. Judgement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grey judges Sammie and Sammie makes it up to Hawke in a spicy way.

   The leader of the Inquisition sat on his throne with his legs crossed. The guards brought in the prisoner in question, forcing her onto her knees before the Inquisitor. Sammie took a shaky breath, grateful that the usual crowd wasn't in the room.

   One of Grey's advisors stood to the right of the throne, holding a small board as she spoke,"The individual before you is Sammie Whitlock, who has been accused of indulging in dark magic - blood magic to be exact."

   The silver haired man uncrossed his legs before leaning forward as if to only speak to the mage in front of him,"Do you have anything to say?"

"Only that I deserve whatever punishment comes my way. I was ignorant to believe that I could get away with practicing said magic everyday, and I'm sorry for deceiving you."

Taking a shaky breath, he mulled her words over in his mind before speaking again,"I recognized that blood magic isn't exactly a desirable practice, but I don't see why everyone deems it as an evil form of magic..."

As Grey spoke, he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples,"After careful consideration, I've decided to do something rather unorthodox...Since I don't entirely have anything against blood magic, you will be allowed to continue to practice such magic as long as you are supervised during this time."

"You will be in this building by nine o'clock each night. It is going to be a good while until you have regained my trust, Sammie. However, outside of this room, nobody is aware what has happened with you."

The misty eyed leader of the Inquisition slowly stood up,"You're free to go, but you will be closely watched by someone for the next few days."

The blonde mage huffed and gently rubbed her wrists as the shackles were taken off. She looked around and noticed that the room had pretty much emptied out, only a few people remained inside. Her green eyes darted across the room, finally locking with Hawke's dark eyes.

The suave brunette crossed her arms and shook her head before starting to walk out of the building.

"Hawke, wait!", Sammie started to go after her, only catching up to her once they were outside.

"What?", she snapped.

   The blonde frowned,"Why are you so angry with me...?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

   The mage's eyes began to water as she spoke,"I can quit blood magic. I'll forget all about it if it means you walking out of my life."

   Hawke took a deep breath and looked into her eyes,"It isn't about the blood magic, I could care less about that. What this is about is the fact that you didn't think you could tell me and that you hid it from me. I really do care about you, Sammie, but I don't take too kindly to you keeping secrets from me. I tell you pretty much everything that goes on in my life, even the little things, and you didn't deem me important enough to tell me this enormous thing that's going on in your life?"

   Sammie swallowed the lump in her theist that felt like glass as it went down,"I never thought of it that way...I apologize."

   The brunette shrugged it off before starting to walk away, obviously having said everything that she thought that she needed to. The green eyed girl stopped her in her tracks by grabbing her wrist,"Let me make it up to you."

"How?", Hawke grumbled while rolling her eyes.

   A smirk spread across the blonde's face as she made her way back to the main building, gently pulling her lover behind her. It wasn't long before the two of them were in the brunette's room, peeling clothes off of one another.

   Sammie pushed the other woman back onto the bed, crawling on top of her much like a lioness would her prey. The bulky female's face flushed a deep red, as she was normally the more dominant one in this relationship.

   The green eyed girl slowly unclasped her lover's bra and slipped off her panties in two swift movements. She looked down at the dark eyed woman, vulnerable and fragile while awaiting for the pleasure to ensue.

"Talk about switching roles.", she snickered as her fingers gently brushed against the brunette's womanhood.

   Gasping and squirming, Hawke murmured out her words,"Please, just do something..."

Sammie gently pushed two fingers inside of her, deciding not to waste any more time with teasing. The dark eyed woman's face relaxed as she let out a soft moan. She tightened up around the other woman's fingers as she felt lips start to nip at her neck. The blonde then licked and bit at the brunette's neck, leaving dark purple marks that would most certainly become even darker as time went on.

The green eyed woman felt the other woman start to come undone as her moans became more frequent. Smirking at how easily and quickly this had come about, she slowly pulled her fingers out, licking them clean.

"But...But I didn't even--"

Hawke cut herself off by screaming out in pleasure upon feeling something wet swipe down her womanhood. Looking down, she discovered that the blood mage had buried her face between her legs. Laying her head back against the pillow and arching her back, she gripped at the blonde's hair while moaning out in pure ecstasy. Once she had finally reached her breaking point, the green eyed girl licked up the clearish-white substance off of her before pulling away to lick her lips.

"Does that make it up to you?"

Hawke huffed before looking up at her, a smirk plastered on her face,"I think the answer to your question is rather obvious..."


	25. Questioning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grey talks things over with Dorian.

   The Inquisitor sat at his desk, staring out of the large window across the room absentmindedly. Loose strands of his floppy hair fell into his eyes as he pondered over the events that have happened in the past few days. He only snapped out of his thoughts when he felt strong hands rubbing his shoulders. The misty eyed man hummed contently as he felt the ex-Tevinter mage massaging the tense muscles away,"What is bothering you these days, Amatus?"

He let out a long sigh before standing up and embracing the mage in his arms,"I think the better question is what doesn't bother me these days in all honesty."

The dark haired man frowned deeply before holding him tightly,"I sincerely apologize that you feel that way; Would you like to talk about it?"

"I don't want to burden you with all--"

Dorian let go of him and stared him in the eyes, cutting him off,"You will never burden me with your thoughts or problems, remember that."

   Grey took a shaky breath before speaking all of the trapped words that have been clouding up his head for days now,"I am just starting to doubt myself...What if I permanently screw up the world? What if Corypheus wins? If we win, what happens next? Where do the people of the Inquisition go, what do we do? And Sammie, did I make the right choice? Or did I make the wrong decision by letting her continue practicing blood magic? Did I make a biased judgement?"

   The tan man watched and listened closely to his lover ramble on with anxiety ridden questions for a few more seconds until finally making him stop,"There is no need to let all of these questions roam through your head, as there is not a single thing for you to be worrying about. You are not, under any circumstances, going to permanently mess up the world, I find that practically impossible. Corypheus isn't going to win, and when we do win, everyone will do what makes them happy. If that means that the Inquisition disbands, then so be it."

Dorian took a deep breath and finished answering all of his lover's seemingly rhetorical questions,"Yes, you made the right decision. She hasn't done anything that would lead anybody to believe that she's out to harm us in any sort of way. And lastly, no, I do not believe that you made a biased judgement regarding Sammie and her blood magic practices."

   The Inquisitor sighed before plopping onto his desk chair, leaning back and propping his feet on his desk in the process,"Will you take a nap with me, Dorian?"

"Like...take a nap with you?", he asked casually.

   The ex-Tevinter mage then reached down as if to unbutton his pants while a smirk spread across his face and he wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner,"Or take a nap with you?"

   Grey grunted before getting up from the desk chair and running his fingers through his flippy hair,"I would greatly enjoy just taking a nap with you, as in the two of us cuddling in bed together, ultimately falling asleep. Besides, now just is not the time to have sex, for me at least."

   He watched his lover's lip quiver, making his mustache twitch before he responded to what he had said,"But Amatus...There is always time for sex, absolutely always. Other things just happen to get in the way, so therefore it cannot happen all the time, that's all really."

   The dual wielding assassin snickered before walking out of his office,"Well I guess sleep just happens to be getting in the way right now then, huh?"

   Dorian groaned before following after his lover, mumbling under his breath,"I suppose so, yes."


	26. Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle is here at last!

  The Inquisitor bit his lip as he fastened his armor, making sure that it wasn't too loose, as it would give away weak spots, and not too tight for obvious reasons. Dorian looked him over, noticing a strap on the back of his armor that hadn't yet been attached to the front. The ex-Tevinter snickered as he clipped the strap into place on the front half of his lover's armor,"There you are."

Grey smiled sheepishly as a blush began to creep up on his face,"Thank you..."

"Of course, Amatus."

The silver haired man then left his quarters, making his way to the war room where all of his companions and advisors had been instructed to wait for him. His eyes scanned the room, trying to make eye contact with each and every individual in the room,"Well, this is it, everyone. This is the big fight that's everyone has been talking about for quite some time..."

He looked over at Cullen,"Are the troops ready? Do they know who is supposed to go where and when?"

The blond man gave him a single nod,"The troops are taken care of, Inquisitor."

Grey smiled slightly before looking over to Leliana,"And are your spies in position, ready to ambush and start the fight as we planned?"

"They know when they should come out of the wood work and attack Corypheus' army, yes."

"And Morrigan, you're ready with the dragon?"

   The woman nodded slowly to let him know that she has indeed been training with the large creature in preparation for this battle. As everyone began emptying out of the room, Avril hastily grabbed Leliana's wrist. The spymaster turned to look at the elven woman with a raise of the eyebrow. An action on which the blonde smiled gently at her, still a bit unsure of her words but feeling more comfortable and confident in them as she spoke,"Perhaps when all of this is said and done, we could sing a song or two..."

   The red haired woman broke out into a grin, gently squeezing her hand, glad to know that she had some sort of recollection of their travels together,"It's a definite maybe."

Cassandra smiled at the blonde's words, enjoying the fact that she is so optimistic about the war that she proposes that they all sing songs when it's over.

"Is that you, Seeker?", Varric asked in a shocked tone from behind her.

   The lanky woman looked over her shoulder at him,"Of course it's me, why would you ask such a ridiculous question?"

   The dwarf smirked and shrugged in response before adding,"I just don't think I've ever seen you smiling before. So I didn't think it was possible that you were...well, you."

"Ugh...", she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest.

   The blonde man put his hands up in a defensive manner,"Sorry if I offended you..."

   He cleared his throat before speaking again,"But you have a wonderful smile, you should show it off more often."

   Cassandra's face flushed a crimson red at his words,"Thank you...I'll be sure to smile more often."

*

   Leliana's spies had ambushed Corypheus' army and Cullen had launched his attacks with the troops. Grey looked up to see Morrigan riding the dragon they had tamed, fighting with  Corypheus' dragon. The Inquisitor led his small group of confidants through the self proclaimed god's camp, mowing down his minions with little to no effort.

   Hours of fighting later, his small group finally reached their enemy. He growled and looked around at the people before him,"A false prophet as a leader, a woman who uses the blood that pumps through her own veins to fight, a Qunari traitor, an ex-Tevinter whom brings shame to his family's name, a demon disguised as a boy, a Grey Warden who failed at practically everything, even keeping his own mentor alive, the so-called Champion who really just had a lot of luck thrown in her favor, a noble murdering machine, a feeble elf woman with slave markings etched into her skin, and a self proclaimed Fade expert...My, what a group you've gathered here...Inquisitor."

   Sera snarled and wasted no time in shooting an arrow into the man's arm, resulting in the rest of the people of the Inquisition to launch their attacks as well. The Iron Bull swung his large axe, lodging it in what he considered an archdemon in human form's leg before slowly dragging it out.

   Corypheus growled and shot a ray of what looked like fire and red lyrium mixed together at the group,"Prepare to  _die_!"

   Cole furrowed his eyebrows together as he sunk his daggers into the monster's calves over and over again. He jumped back just as he went to swing at the boy, thankful for having such amazing reflexes. Dorian, Solas, and Sammie all took turns keep a defensive barrier around the group. As one kept the barrier up, the other two stood on either side of them and used their magic against the disgusting creature.

   Hawke, Avril, and Alistair all assisted in close ranged attacks. The Inquisitor and Cole had a certain finesse, being dual wielding fighters and sneaky. Whereas the Iron Bull could be considered like a tank, always at close range, dealing extreme amounts of damage, and being able to take a considerable amount as well.

Seemingly halfway through their brawl with Corypheus, Grey stopped and called everyone back as he saw Morrigan fall from the dragon of the Inquisition. It wasn't very long after the two dragons themselves hit the ground as well; One of them barely alive and the other dead. Much to the Inquisition's dismay, it was their own dragon whom had been killed in the intense battle of the two beasts.

During the commotion, the so-called Elder One had escaped to Maker only knows where. The silver haired man scrunched up his nose and called out to his allies,"New plan, take down the dragon!"

"Finally!", the Iron Bull smiled wide and charged at the red lyrium dragon.

Sera rolled her eyes as she dipped an arrow in poison before resting it on the bow. She closed one eye, trying to be as precise as possible with her shot, and aimed the arrow at the creature's eye. She released the arrow into the air and watched it fly into its skull as the archdemon had shifted a bit.

Corypheus'  _pet_ began flapping its wings, pulling the close ranged warriors into its grasp and brutally attacking them with its sharp edged wings. Hawke cried out in pain as she had received a gash to her abdomen, a sound that made Sammie's heart ache. She desperately wanted to let down the barrier she was currently in charge of and rush over to help. However, she knew that such an action would only result in more injuries, possibly even a fatality or two.

Grey and Cole viciously attached the creature's back legs, causing blood to splatter all over their weapons, faces, and bodies. As much as everyone hated to admit it, they all kept a close eye on the ones that they were closest with. Dorian on Grey ,and Grey on Dorian. Hawke on Sammie, and the blonde on her lover as well. Alistair looked to Avril, and she at him. Cole kept an eye out for his larger than life friend, and the Iron Bull had closely watched the strange and mysterious boy. All of them secretly hoped that the other would make it out alive and untouched.

Avril shoved her sword in the stomach of the beast, dragging it all the way down and accidentally drenching herself in its blood. Alistair saw the dragon starting to fall and pushed her out of the way, letting the dragon collapse on him instead. The elven woman cried out and began to push on the creature, hoping to get it off of the man. All of the others did the same, eventually getting the beast off of him.

Sammie put a hand on her friend's shoulder in a reassuring manner after she had patched up her own lover's wounds. The blonde simply shrugged off her hand and choked back her tears. Dorian put two fingers on the Grey Warden's neck before proclaiming,"He's alive! We need a medic, quickly!"

The Iron Bull grunted as he picked the severely injured man up effortlessly, beginning to take off in the direction that they came from,"You go ahead, I'll take care of him!"

"Do you want to--"

Avril cut off the Inquisitor, wiping away the tears on her cheek as she did so,"He would want me to finish what I started..."

Grey nodded quickly and ran in the direction that Corypheus went, leading everyone as he did so. As they reached the disgraceful  _thing_ , they didn't even bother listening to what he had to say this time. Instead, they went directly into battle once more. Being two men short, it was a more challenging fight, but it was definitely still possible to defeat the abomination.

   The monster had the same red substance shoot from his hands as before, surrounding the group of ranged fighters in a close circle. Solas grunted, letting the magical barrier fall for a few seconds before putting it back up again.

"Pitiful excuse of  a battle!", the grotesque creature yelled out. Nobody paid him any mind however, so him speaking was pretty much a waste of energy.

   Shortly after, Grey had delivered the final blow, sinking one of the daggers into Corypheus' back. Sera snickered and put her bow and arrows away,"Now  _that_ is what you call back stabbing."

   The group let out a short bit of laughter, only to realize that Solas had moved a bit away from the group, crouching before the monster's orb and focusing intensely on it. Grey slowly walked towards the bald man, everyone else understanding that this was a conversation to be had just between the two of them and deciding it would be best if they left so that the words between them could truly be private.

"I'm sorry, Solas, I know you would have liked to have had the orb...", the man with moon-like eyes said softly.

   The lanky elven man shrugged off his words before standing up straight again,"Don't worry about it. What matters is that the enemy is taken care of..."

*

   It wasn't long before the entirety of the Inquisition was back at Skyhold. Well, except for Solas. When Grey had started leaving, the man was nowhere to be found. He figured that he just needed some space, so he let it be.

A majority of the people crammed inside of the tavern as a very busy and successful day deserved to be celebrated. At least, that's what Varric told everybody. He himself had asked the group of individuals what it was like to fight Corypheus and the dragon, claiming it would be his next best seller. Cassandra, however, scoffed at his questioning others, all the while she was secretly reading one of his books.

   Dorian snickered at their actions, wondering when the two would finally get over themselves and get in bed. He was snapped out of his thoughts once he felt Grey tug on his sleeve. The two men soon snuck off to have their own celebration of sorts.

   Meanwhile, Cole was judging a drinking contest between Krem, the Iron Bull, and Sera. All of them had three minutes to drink as many glasses of alcohol that they could. Cole thought that the entire idea was unhealthy and strange, but the three of them ended up talking him into it nonetheless. Once the time had run out, the blond figured out all of the numbers to discover that Sera had won. The elven archer jumped up from her seat and pumped her fiat in the air, only to have Krem pick her up into a congratulatory hug. Whether it was the alcohol in their systems or simply an unexpected gesture of infatuation, the two soon smashed their lips together. An action that made the Iron Bull and Cole walk away and give them their space.

*

   Sammie and Hawke sat by the medical tent with Avril, all of them desperately waiting for Alistair to wake up. After probably a couple of hours of waiting, Hawke had fallen asleep and Leliana was making her way over to the rather small group. The elven woman looked up to see that the red head had an instrument in her hands,"My definite maybe is now a yes if you hadn't noticed."

   The blood mage cracked a smile while the spymaster sat down across from the other three individuals. She sat on the floor with her legs crossed, beginning to play a tune. Avril sang along to the song quietly, somehow knowing the words.

   After a couple of more songs from Leliana, they noticed that the Grey Warden was tossing and turning in his seemingly inescapable slumber,"Shh...He's waking up."

   The Dalish girl jumped up from where she was sitting and rushed over to the man after hearing Sammie's words. She gingerly grabbed his hand and watched closely as his eyes fluttered open,"Have a nice nap?"

   Alistair laughed weakly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze,"I missed out on all the action, did I?"

"Hardly...", Sammie snickered, carefully waking up Hawke.

*

"I knew you would come...", Flemeth, Morrigan's mother spoke slowly,"You should not have given your orb to Corypheus, Dread Wolf."

The elderly woman around turned slowly to face none other than Solas. The elven man simply replied,"I was too weak to unlock it after my slumber."

"They failure was mine. I should pay the price, but the people...they need me.", he spoke in a rather saddened tone.

Flemeth rested a hand on his cheek, an action in which the man rested his hand on top of hers,"I am so sorry..."

"I am sorry as well, old friend.", the older woman whispered.

His face began to glow a bright color as the woman in front of him collapsed in his arms, a blue mist engulfing her. He was soon on the floor, holding her tightly in his embrace. Solas' eyes turned to a misty black, a substance that looked like fog circled around his dark new eyes. It was then that he gently dropped the woman the woman to the floor.

This...This was the start of a whole new beginning for the man. He had convinced everyone to work on his personal agenda while he kept his secret as the Dread Wolf. And taking away Avril's memories in the process? It was initially only intended to take away her thoughts of his as the elven creature, but getting rid of her other, more important memories all the while? And making Fenris suddenly disappear after meeting the leader of the Inquisition, leading everyone to believe he was only escorting Alistair there? Icing on the cake...

He was going to make this world his own, even if he had to step on every single person in the process. He had kept his secret as Dread Wolf long enough, it was time that everyone knew exactly who they were dealing with. They were no longer dealing with Solas, no...They were dealing with an Elven _God_!


End file.
